


Just a normal day (Merlin x Arthur)

by Leledezember



Series: Merlin Chronicles [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Finds Out About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), M/M, Merlin and Dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 100,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26422000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leledezember/pseuds/Leledezember
Summary: "Arthur, is it not obvious? Talk to Merlin, really listen to him, and ask his advice, as you always do.""I should ask him myself?" he asked, to make sure he'd got it right."Why not? You always ask him for advice or he tells you his advice to your face, even if you don't want to hear it. Why would you change this now, when it affects Merlin as well?"Arthur didn't even notice he was nodding and stopped moving. Then he nodded again, gave his wife a kiss and went in search of Merlin.ora story in which Arthur finds out thats Merlin has magic. How will he react?
Series: Merlin Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920538
Comments: 14
Kudos: 66





	1. Merlins secret

It wasn't dawn yet. The castle was still quiet, yet Merlin lay awake in his bed. He wrestled with himself. Over and over again he had asked himself the question of the perfect time. He doubted that this moment really existed. There were perhaps favourable and very unfavourable situations, but perfect - no, that was an illusion. Lying had become such a habit for Merlin that he had no idea what it would be like to talk about his magic - to talk to Arthur about his magic. No, somehow he couldn't imagine that. And if he did manage it, all scenarios were not really pleasant. Still, it was time. Merlin knew that it was only due to great luck and a combination of various fortunate and unfortunate circumstances that his secret had not been discovered long ago. Merlin would call Arthur a good friend and he deserved to know the truth about himself.

Slowly the twilight set in. Merlin jumped out of bed, washed, dressed and made his way to the king's chambers. He entered quietly. He had resolved to do most of the duties that the king's servant had to do in the king's chambers before he spoke. You would think that the king was awake from tidying his clothes, opening the cupboards, polishing his armour, mending his clothes or cleaning the floor, but Merlin could do his work undisturbed. Even Gwen, who, unlike Arthur, was a morning person, merely turned to the other side when the closet door opened and continued to sleep. Merlin finally looked around the room and was satisfied. He rushed into the kitchen, stole an apple out of habit, greeted the cook and took the prepared meal with him for the royal couple. But he did not touch the apple. His stomach was a mess and he wanted to avoid vomiting in front of the king.

When he now entered the room, he tried not to be quiet at all. He prepared breakfast on the large wooden table and poured the milk into the cups. With a much too joyful "A beautiful good morning", he opened the curtains from the window.

Gwen woke up immediately. She smiled, gave another kiss to Arthur, who just growled at it, and she got out of bed. "Good morning, Merlin", she greeted the valet and her best friend.

"Good morning, Gwen," he replied absent-mindedly.

"I'm just going to go to my room and change, see you in a moment," she said goodbye, smiling. As she left the room, she was surprised to find that it was tidy and clean. Merlin could not have slept well if he was so bored that he had to do his duties so early, she thought.

While Gwen was smiling about the clean room, Merlin had already been able to tear the blanket from Arthur, who expressed his displeasure with a loud "MERLIN".

"Sire, wake up at last. You told me to wake you this morning, no matter how much you resist," Merlin said innocently.

Arthur mumbled to himself and was startled when Merlin hit him on the head with a pillow. "MERLIN, what do you think you're doing?" he shouted indignantly.

"Waking you, Your Majesty, as is my duty," Merlin replied mischievously.

"Your method of waking me is simply inappropriate and inappropriate for a king," mumbled Arthur. "But a morning grumbler like you cannot be awakened appropriately for a king, for otherwise you would always oversleep," Merlin asked to consider.

Arthur surrendered to his fate and finally rolled himself out of bed. Slowly he really woke up and thought about the reason for getting up so early today. For not one came to his mind. There was no meeting or council meeting scheduled. The next hunt would not be for several days. There was neither

A visit was expected, a celebration was still planned. Neither famine, imminent wars, mysterious murders nor other crises were known to Arthur. These were the thoughts Arthur had when he put on his royal robe with Merlin's help. Suddenly Arthur faltered, as he had noticed that not only his breakfast was already on his seat, but also all other Merlin's tasks in the room seemed to have been completed.

"If you really wanted to wake me up early, you probably didn't quite manage to do so when my room is already so tidy," Arthur said now, slightly annoyed.

"It's still early in the morning, sire, look outside and you'll see that the sun is only just rising," Merlin replied.

"Then how on earth is it possible that you are almost finished with your duties here?" exclaimed Arthur.

"I couldn't sleep," Merlin replied simply.

"You couldn't sleep?" Arthur asked irritatedly, at which Merlin merely nodded. "Why?" Arthur asked and looked Merlin in the face to see his facial expression. What he saw there alarmed Arthur, as the happy and mischievous grin had disappeared and showed a change between uncertainty, fear and resignation. Had Arthur not known better, he would even have claimed that pain was the most obvious. But this could not be true. For the moment, Camelot was living in peace and he would not have known that Gaius was ill.

Arthur heard Merlin take a deep breath several times, clenching and relaxing his hands into fists, and his face now expressed pure determination.

"Arthur. The reason why I woke you up so early today is because I need to talk to you," Merlin replied seriously.

"You cannot be serious, Merlin. We talk to each other every day," Arthur replied with incomprehension in his voice.

"That is true, my king, but there is something I would like to say to you before...", Merlin's voice broke. He knew that this situation would not be easy, but he failed before the conversation even took place.

Arthur saw how much Merlin struggled and said encouragingly, "Merlin, whatever you have to say to me, you can say it to me and I'm happy to hear it from you, whatever you want to say to me, because I trust you.

The moment Arthur said that, he was also aware of how often his trust had been abused by others close to him.

"Thank you, Arthur. Please promise me one thing: Please let me explain, then you can do what you want with me," Merlin asked quietly.

This gave Arthur goose bumps and his stomach contracted with a dark premonition, but he nodded anyway.

Arthur and Merlin were still standing in the middle of the room, with Merlin standing in front of Arthur and keeping his eyes lowered. The whole behaviour of Merlin not only irritated Arthur, because it didn't suit him at all, no, it scared him to the bone. Merlin began to tell quietly: "I came to Camelot and left Ealdor because I didn't fit in there anymore. I wanted to learn a lot and Camelot seemed like a suitable place. That's when I met you, a conceited, arrogant arse who called himself Prince." Merlin ignored the King's warning call and went on to say, "I couldn't stand you. I got a job with Gaius and was satisfied with it, but I simply could not control my quick tongue with you, which gave me a few hours in the stocks. I did not want to accept that I could have as a task to protect you. I even said in the beginning in a grudge that whoever wanted to harm you had my blessing and I would help him. But then the feast came and I realized how a sleeping spell worked. I could resist it and saw the dagger moving towards you in slow motion. I didn't make a conscious decision to save you, I just did it. And before I knew it, I was your servant. I don't know which one of us hated that more in this situation."

Merlin smiled and looked up. Arthur frowned, but then he smiled as he recalled his initial frustration. But then he stumbled upon two details. How was it possible for Merlin to "resist" the sleeping magic.

and he saw the dagger fly "like in slow motion"?

All Arthur got was a "how?" pressed out.

"Sorry, Arthur, years of habit don't go down that easily. I had no intention of deliberately not saying it." Merlin took a deep breath and then said, "I'm sorry, Arthur, but I have magic, that's why I didn't fall asleep under the sleeping spell and was quick enough to pull you out of the dagger's path. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but first I lied out of fear of your father, then out of fear of your reaction."

Arthur burst out laughing. The idea that Merlin was a sorcerer was just too absurd. His foolish and so loyal friend and servant could never be a sorcerer. It couldn't be. So this was just a joke of Merlin - admittedly the worst joke ever, but there was no other explanation, was there?

Abruptly the laughter stopped, because Arthur saw Merlin's wounded look. Slowly doubts began to arise in Arthur. It couldn't be true, could it? And yet, how often had small misfortunes happened to his opponent in the decisive moments that would never have happened to an experienced fighter? In how many hopeless situations had Arthur been alone - only with Merlin at his side - which, miraculously, they both survived. And yet he could not reconcile the image of Merlin as his clumsy and totally loyal servant with an evil sorcerer. Because magic was evil - he had taught this from childhood on and had felt it on his own body during all these years. But was magic really evil? Arthur only knew of examples that absolutely confirmed this. No, that was not quite right. For example, the Druids had given away the Cup of Life without a fight and before that they used it to save the life of Sir Leon, one of Arthur's most loyal knights of Camelot. The sorcerers who did good with magic had to do it in secret, otherwise they would have been sentenced to death for breaking the law...

"Arthur, say something, please," Merlin asked softly.

Arthur was torn from his thoughts and saw Merlin, who was even paler than usual. Arthur could not look Merlin in the eye. He needed time - time to think about whether this could be true, whether Merlin - Merlin of all people - was a traitor. He was totally confused and could not think clearly. He could not continue the conversation with Merlin now. But he had promised that he would give Merlin the opportunity to explain "it" and he stood by his word. He would listen to Merlin, no matter what he had to explain, but not at this moment. He first had to get over the shock that Merlin could be a magician and this thought dominated his complete thinking, an attentive listening was no longer possible.

"Leave me alone", Arthur finally ordered and looked out of the window, lost in thought. He missed the absolutely sad and broken expression in Merlin's face and he didn't hear how quietly the door closed.


	2. Magic is bad

Gwen saw Merlin leave the room and wondered again what was wrong with him today. When she saw the look on his face, she was immediately alarmed.  
"Merlin, what happened?" she asked worriedly.  
Merlin merely shook his head.  
Gwen asked anxiously, "Is Arthur all right?"  
"No! I mean..." Merlin sighed heavily, took a deep breath and began to explain again: "Gwen, don't worry. Arthur is fine, but I think he could use someone to talk to."  
"But why are you ...," Gwen started and stopped because of Merlin's desperate and painful expression. Merlin was not only a servant to Arthur, but a loyal friend, whose advice he often paid more attention to than anyone else's, even hers. This could only mean that the two friends had quarreled about something - really quarrelled. They both enjoyed the fun tiffs and arguments so much - even if Merlin sometimes really overdid it, but Gwen suspected that Arthur appreciated that Merlin always told him what he thought, openly and honestly, and that he always pointed out his mistakes - regardless of whether the King wanted to hear them or not. But this time it really had to be very serious.

Gwen entered the chamber worried and quiet. She found Arthur looking out of the window, lost in thought. He looked pale, but otherwise she could not see anything except that he was frowning. "Arthur," she tried to pull him carefully out of his thoughts. He did not react and kept staring into the distance. Gwen walked quietly through the room and carefully put one hand on his shoulder. Arthur flinched slightly and turned around abruptly. When he realized that his wife was standing behind him, he smiled slightly. Gwen was amazed at his frightfulness, because otherwise you could never sneak up on Arthur unnoticed, and his smile was much warmer than it is now.  
"Arthur, what have you two done?" she asked with an attempted laugh in her voice.  
"What makes you think my thoughts have anything to do with Merlin," Arthur asked alarmed - did Gwen know anything about Merlin being a wizard and had kept it from him? His eyes darkened.  
Gwen shook her head and said, "I can put two and two together. I just met Merlin who asked me to go to you because you would need someone to talk to. Since you usually discuss everything with Merlin first, this time it has to be about Merlin, otherwise you would ask his advice first".  
Arthur looked into his wife's eyes in astonishment. There was not a hint of reproach in her statement, nor was there any fear that would suggest she already knew Merlin's secret. Wait, he no longer doubted that Merlin was a magician. In his mind, this had already become a fact. And what did Merlin do in this situation? He sent him the only person he could talk to about this conversation. He shook his head over Merlin, because he understood him even less than usual. He had to talk to Gwen about it, because his thoughts were just going around in circles at the moment and slowly became quite absurd. He was just wondering if Merlin had cast a spell on him, since he hadn't locked him in the dungeon immediately... This had to stop now. He needed a second opinion and he knew that his wife was reasonable and smart.  
"Yes, I really need someone to help me sort out the chaos in my head," Arthur finally said.  
Gwen looked up in surprise because it was rare for Arthur to admit that he needed help. "You know that I love you with all my heart and I will always support you," Gwen said in a firm voice.  
Without thinking, Arthur replied, "Would you also support me if I were to throw Merlin into the dungeon or even have him burned at the stake?", thereby expressing his worst fears.  
Gwen abruptly took a few steps away from Arthur and could not suppress the horrified look and cry in her throat. "What on earth happened between you two?" she replied in dismay.  
"You don't know?" said Arthur in relief.  
"Can you finally tell me what's going on here, Arthur," replied Gwen, who was slowly losing patience.  
"Merlin has just apologized to me and claimed to possess magic, which enabled him to protect me from the sorceress' dagger years ago."

"Merlin is a magician," Gwen asked at first irritated, but gradually a smile crept to her lips and she said, more to herself than to Arthur, "Oh, that explains a lot.  
"What do you mean?" Arthur demanded to know.  
Gwen looked him in the eye and said, "Arthur, Merlin was always by your side. He could not wield a sword, nor was he wearing armour that protected him from harm. No matter how hopeless a situation was, you always managed. A terrible wound or a terminal illness was miraculously healed. All the dangers, which were often caused by magic, were certainly not only defeated with courage and strength, because against magic probably only magic helps. You wonder if Merlin is evil, since every magician is supposed to be evil," said Gwen, until she was interrupted by Arthur.  
"You don't think magic is evil?", he asked angrily.  
"Please do not interrupt me. I was not finished with my explanation. The question whether magic is evil cannot be answered simply with no or yes. One might as well ask whether power is evil. For power is neither evil nor good. Since I am of the opinion that magic is also a form of power, magic is neither good nor evil. But power can be misused for evil purposes, just as magic can be used for evil. You can protect someone from harm with a sword or you can inflict wounds and even kill with it. A sword is only a tool. What is important, however, is who wields this tool. So it is the person who is evil or good. Which tool he uses, whether power, sword or magic, only says something about the amount of damage or protection. But the intention is not determined by the tool, but by the person who uses the tool."  
Arthur let his wife's execution take its toll and found that he could have agreed with her, but it wasn't that easy. In Camelot, all forms of magic were forbidden - including healing magic. "Thanks, Gwen. I never thought of it like that. But I need to think about it first," Arthur said.  
"No problem, I understand. If you don't mind, I'll just go to Merlin, to ..." began Gwen, but Arthur interrupted her with: "To Merlin! Have you taken leave of your senses? I've just told you that Merlin claims to be a wizard and you want to talk to him alone?!  
"Yes, Arthur, that's exactly what I intend to do, because I trust Merlin. It wasn't right for him to lie to me, but if I had known his secret, not only would that have put me in danger, but it would have meant that I would have had to hide a secret from you, and that would have alienated us in the long run, since we know each other too well and we always confide everything to each other. I want to give Merlin the chance to tell me now, show him that he can trust me with his concerns," Gwen replied calmly.  
"What worries should Merlin have," Arthur said thoughtlessly.  
Gwen looked at her husband silently for a long time and shook her head. Although he was a fair, honorable and good king, he sometimes had the empathy of a complete idiot.  
"I see that you really mean the question," she answered shaking her head and continued: "Merlin has lived for years in a country where magical abilities are punishable by death. He has probably decided to stay at your side and protect you with this magic. Now he has his best friend - and woe betide you to say anything to the contrary, since you are friends," she remarked with flashing eyes, seeing the contradiction in his face, and went on to say: "...to the King of Camelot, who is responsible for keeping the law, he confessed that he is a sorcerer and deserves to die according to the laws of your father and now your laws. What do you think Merlin is doing right now? Maybe packing and fleeing? Imagining how painful a death at the stake could be? That is why I am going to him now, and alone, because I want to stand by my faithful friend in this situation.  
Without waiting for an answer, she gave Arthur a kiss and was already on her way to Merlin's chamber before Arthur could think through what she had said and contradict her.


	3. Hope

Merlin didn't know where to go. His feet carried him to Gaius as if by magic. His surrogate father was once again busy making an analgesic ointment. Merlin wanted to sneak quietly into his room, but Gaius looked up and saw Merlin's downcast expression.

"Sit down, my boy," Gaius asked quietly.

Merlin complied with the request, but did not know what to say.

"Are Arthur and Gwen all right?" asked the healer. Merlin nodded.

Gaius gave the boy time and observed his facial expressions. In it, the old man could read that Merlin was hurt and sad.

"I told Arthur," Merlin finally said.

Gaius asked, amazed, "You told Arthur?"

"Yes, but I don't know if he believes I have magic, and if he does... I don't know what he'll do, what he'll do to me," said Merlin in agony.

Gaius was most alarmed: "If there is even a slightest chance that he will sentence you to death, you must flee, Merlin!

Resigned, Merlin said. "Gaius, I won't do it. I promised that if he let me explain, he could do what he wanted with me. And if he does sentence me to death... Maybe I deserve to die for failing.

Gaius was just about to start the answer when there was a knock at the door and Gwen stepped in. They both took a quick bow and greeted the queen. Gwen said, "Oh, you know you don't have to do that when we're alone. I am still Gwen - the crown on my head will not change that. I was going to ask if I could borrow Merlin, Gaius, or do you need him now?"

Merlin forestalled Gaius with an answer. "Gwen, it might be better if you spoke to Arthur first. "I do not believe it would be wise..." He fell silent when he saw Gwen's smile and a small spark of hope grew inside him.

"I've already spoken to Arthur and told him I want to talk to you now. I think it's imperative that you and I speak privately. I have a feeling that the conversation could last a very long time," she winked at him.

He was surprised how easily Gwen could handle his magic. But then it occurred to him that maybe Gwen didn't know it yet. She was his girlfriend and he couldn't leave her ignorant, so he replied: "Gwen, I don't know what Arthur told you, but I don't think he'd like that and I don't think Arthur really told you what the conversation was about, otherwise ..."

Gwen stopped him with a hand gesture and simply said, "He said that you would possess magic. Since I do not believe that all magicians are automatically evil, I would like to hear your explanation," she replied with a smile.

"You know that and yet you want to talk to me and that alone," Merlin asked, dismayed and happy at the same time.

"Yes, we are friends and I trust my friends," she said.

Merlin looked at Gaius meaningful and a bright smile appeared on his face as he looked at Gwen again. "Gwen, you are just incredible," said Merlin and Gaius also smiled and nodded approvingly.

"I could say that such a crown on your head gives a lot of wisdom, but we both know that's not necessarily true," she said with a grin.

Everyone started laughing heartily. For Merlin, this laughter was so liberating that he suddenly believed that maybe everything could turn out well after all. "I am only too happy to comply with your request and would like to stop torturing your curiosity. If Arthur should ask, tell him, Gaius, that we - yes, where are we going? - the throne room should be suitable. No one can eavesdrop there secretly, and yet you can walk up and down a bit, for I will find it difficult to suppress the need during the conversation," Merlin said shrugging his shoulders. Gwen grinned and agreed nodding.

They said goodbye to Gaius, who remained behind with mixed feelings. He only hoped it was the right decision to tell Arthur about Merlin's magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!  
> Please leave a review if you like this story so far.  
> And you can also find me on fanfiction.net aswell under the same account name:)


	4. Questions

Meanwhile, Arthur paced impatiently back and forth in his room. He had not touched his breakfast. Again and again he had to suppress the impulse to run to Merlin and Gwen to protect Gwen. But protect from what - or rather, from whom? Did he really believe that Merlin would hurt Gwen? No, he didn't think that at all. Arthur would trust Merlin with his life and Gwen's at any time. But did knowing that Merlin was a sorcerer change that trust? Did he know that for certain? Why had he not asked for proof? That would have been the quickest way... Actually, he didn't really want an absolutely solid proof that Merlin really was a sorcerer - a traitor - that quickly. Arthur realized that the two words wizard and traitor were so closely connected that he couldn't separate them, but was that right? Was every magician a traitor? His feeling told him that Merlin was not a traitor, but he was also wrong about his sister and uncle. His mind, on the other hand, refused to make a decision because he simply lacked the information to do so. So he had to talk to Merlin and quickly. He needed answers to the question if he was a wizard and in which situations he had used or abused his magic.

Since he was a man of action, he made his way to Gaius. The way seemed to be much shorter than usual today. Far too quickly he found himself in Gaius' rooms, who greeted him with a bow. "The Queen and Merlin are in the throne room so that they may speak undisturbed," said Gaius without emotion.

"Thank you,' said Arthur, and was about to hurry there when Gaius again addressed him: 'Sire, if I might make a request. "Please do not be tempted to make a hasty decision that you will regret later."

"Are you threatening me?" exclaimed Arthur out loud.

Gaius looked at his king in shock and chose his words carefully this time: "No, that was not my intention. I'm just worried for you, as always, and for Merlin, of course."

Arthur nodded, almost ashamed of his outburst. Gaius had known him since he was a small boy and Arthur did not know of a situation in which the old man had not been at his side in an advisory, conciliatory or healing capacity.

Arthur hurriedly left the room and made his way to the throne room via a secret passage. He wanted to be able to intervene if the conversation should become dangerous for Gwen after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading this story, hope you like this short part.  
> The next chapters are longer, I promise


	5. Merlin, Dragonlord and Magic

Gwen and Merlin went to the throne room in silence. The guards were only told that she needed help with her papers and that the King would probably come soon, for neither of them doubted that he would come.

Gwen asked Merlin to sit down and sat down opposite him. "So Merlin, here we are alone and no one can overhear us so easily. I want to thank you that although you have magic and are punishable by death in Camelot, you have never left Arthur's side," Gwen began.

Merlin looked up in surprise and gazed into her friendly eyes. He said without thinking, "It is my destiny. We are two sides of the same coin."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I'll have to go a long way to really understand that. I understand it, if I think about it, not really understand it myself.

Neither of them noticed that Arthur was now standing behind a pillar in the throne room and could hear every word Merlin said.

Merlin had got up and walked up and down the throne room as he told the story. "Where do I start? You know that I grew up in Ealdor with my mother. You can't learn magic easily, either you are born with it or not. It is not a choice you can make. You even have to learn to control magic, otherwise accidents can happen where people can get hurt or even killed. I was born with magic. I could do magic before I could even talk or walk. My mother was afraid that someone might discover the secret, so I grew up very isolated. But it didn't make me an unhappy child. I took great pleasure in nature and I did not mind working. The children in the village noticed that I was different somehow and after a while they avoided me. Will, on the other hand, didn't think of doing the same as the other children." A sad smile crept across Merlin's face. "In one incident where Will was nearly struck by a branch, I used my magic without thinking and saved his life. He knew immediately, even without hearing a spell from me, that I had saved him through my magic. He looked at me thoughtfully, nodded, thanked me and did not mention it further. Eventually my mother found out that Will knew about my secret. Afraid that he would betray me, she sent me to my Uncle Gaius. She hoped he could guide me. Though I often miss my mother, of course, Gaius is like a father to me now. He always supported me, had either encouraging words or good advice in every hopeless situation. Oh, I realize I'm digressing. Hmm, where was I? "Yes, magic and fate..."

Merlin was interrupted by Gwen, "Will you show me your magic?"

Merlin stopped moving and looked at her with big eyes. "You want me to perform magic before your eyes?" He didn't realise he was speaking to Gwen in confidence again.

"Yes, so far you've only told me that you can do magic, but I would like to see it, so that I can finally silence the doubt in my mind, besides, I'm just curious," she replied smiling.

"Aren't you afraid that the spell might go against you?", Merlin asked irritated.

Arthur, who had understood every word, was about to throw himself protectively in front of Gwen and at the same time shout at her how thoughtless her wish was. But he was so distracted by his wife's laughter that he continued to listen attentively.

"Merlin, if you really wanted to harm me, you would not wait until I asked you to use magic. This is absurd. I don't know anything about it, so if you don't mind and it's not dangerous, I'd be happy if you showed me something beautiful," she said, looking forward to learning something new right away.

Merlin calmed down, concentrated, looked Gwen in the eye and said, "FEABERNE."

Gwen saw, as she expected, the golden glow of his eyes and was surprised to see it in Merlin's eyes. Merlin, however, reached out his right hand and slowly opened it.

Gwen opened her eyes wide and asked, worried, "Why doesn't the flame burn your hand?"

"The flame burns without heat, but it gives off light, so I don't get burned," he replied and let the flame go out.

"That was beautiful. I thank you. I am sorry that I interrupted you just now. You were just about to speak of magic and of your destiny", she said with a smile and Merlin began again to tell: "Yes, my magic and destiny. You know how it came about that I became Arthur's servant. I was able to resist the sleeping spell through magic and save Arthur from the dagger. Even then I had heard about my fate, but I didn't want to believe it. Arthur was a conceited fool and I had no interest in protecting him, the Prince of Camelot, with magic outlawed by death penalty. I saved him in that moment without thinking about it, and suddenly I was his servant."

Merlin paused for a moment and Gwen asked, carefully, "But who told you of your fate? Was it Gaius?"

"No, that was..." Merlin swallowed and quickly said, "Kilgharrah. He is a dragon who is now a trusted friend and has saved my life, ours, on so many occasions with his advice."

"Wait, did you just say that a dragon betrayed your destiny and helped you?", Gwen asked in shock. Though it had been some time, she could not forget the images of death, fire, fear and terror that the dragon had brought to Camelot.

"I'm sorry, I...please let me explain," Merlin said quickly after Gwen had already leapt up. She paused, nodded and sat down again, wringing her hands in her lap.

Arthur's hand, meanwhile, had shot to his sword by itself. He clasped the handle so tightly that his knuckles came out white. With the greatest of difficulty he remained in his hiding place.

"Please explain it to me." "Kilgharrah, is a being of magic. I could hear him in my mind the very first day I arrived in Camelot and he called out to me. He said that I had a great destiny and that my life was bound to young Arthur Pendragon. I didn't want to believe that at all. We were two sides of the same coin and Arthur was destined to unite all of Albion, to free magic and bring peace and prosperity to the people. The more I got to know Arthur, the more I saw this king in him that he could one day be. So I stayed by his side and protected him - with magic if I had to.

The dragon's attack was partly my fault. I had promised him his deliverance, as he had helped me again by giving me advice to save Arthur's life. I had no idea he was plotting revenge. Uther had killed all his kind and chained him in a cave for years. I wanted to kill him for bringing so much death and suffering to Camelot. I had the power to do it, but I couldn't," Merlin concluded the explanation.

Even though Gwen saw that Merlin found this confession difficult, some details were missing, so she asked: "I thought Arthur had killed the great dragon and how do you have the power to kill a dragon? Are you that powerful?"

Merlin pondered something until, shaking his head, he replied, "Arthur didn't kill it. He merely wounded it."

Arthur breathed in, startled. He hadn't killed the dragon? But why were there no more attacks afterwards?

Merlin gave Gwen a moment to understand this information and went on: "Yes and no. I may be a powerful wizard, but that alone does not give me power over dragons. I am, however, the last Dragonlord and so the dragon is forced to obey my command."

"But I thought the last Dragonlord died in your arms years ago and..." She stopped when she saw the pain in Merlin's face.

"Balinor was my birth father,"

this one after a few seconds. Arthur thought he heard wrong. Balinor was Merlin's father, who died in his arms? His face twisted with pain and sorrow as he felt the loss of his father all too well.

"He loved my mother. He did not know she was pregnant when he left her to protect her. Uther's men were after him, which is why he could only offer her a life on the run and he did not want to do that to the woman he loved. The gift is only passed from father to son when the father dies. Many young Dragonlords have died in their first attempt to command a dragon. I didn't know if I could do it, but I had to try, to protect Arthur and Camelot. When I saw the dragon had to obey my orders, I couldn't just kill it. I had seen so much death and destruction in those days, I couldn't bear any more of it. I couldn't kill a creature that was born with magic like me. I granted mercy to the Great Dragon and promised him that if he ever brought death and destruction upon Camelot again, he would pay for it with his life. For years I sought his counsel, at first only in desperate situations. Now I seek counsel when I feel lonely or just to make sure Kilgharrah is all right.

Merlin's voice got very rough from all the talking and his throat started to hurt. Gwen poured him a cup of water and handed it to him. He thanked him and Gwen began to talk: "So you are not only a wizard, but you are also a Dragonlord, you are fated to protect my husband and you have a good heart."

Merlin did not only blush when he said that, but he blushed and hid his face behind the cup.

"Thank you for telling me so much. I can probably only guess how much more you could tell, but for now I've had enough to think about for one day. I want to stress once again that I trust you, Merlin, and that I find the idea of you being evil simply absurd. I do, however, have a question to ask you: What will you do if Arthur sentences you to death?" asked the queen, never letting Merlin out of her sight.

Arthur flinched at this question and held his breath.

Meanwhile, Merlin closed her eyes, pondered briefly and returned the queen's gaze: "I told Arthur that if he gave me the chance to explain everything to him, I would accept his decision, no matter what it was.

Gwen looked at her good friend in bewilderment, "What? Are you suicidal?"

"No, I would give my life to protect Arthur. If that's the way it's going to be, then I'll have to accept it, although I had hoped to give my life in a more meaningful way, of course, but you don't always get what you hope for," he said, full of pain in his voice.

"Merlin, what...

"No, Gwen, I can't talk about that today. Please not today. If you do not mind, I would like to go back to Gaius and see if he needs my help," Merlin said evasively.

Gwen nodded and said goodbye, "I only now realise how little I know about you, Merlin. Although so much of your life has remained hidden from me until now, I trust you. You have protected me so many times, put your life in danger so often to protect Arthur. I know that you have encouraged Arthur to listen to his heart despite all the other influences and in so doing have reaffirmed his love for me. I want to thank you for that. I will do everything in my power to ensure that nothing happens to you," said Gwen.

Merlin smiled and raised his hands defensively: "No, Gwen. I don't want to come between you and Arthur."

Arthur shook his head in bewilderment at this statement. Did the fool have no instinct for self-preservation?

"Arthur is my husband, I will always love him and support him and save him from making a big mistake and you can talk as much as you want, you are my friend and I will not allow my husband to make a mistake that might destroy him just because he can't listen," she replied resolutely. Merlin smiled tiredly, said goodbye and left the queen supposedly alone in the throne room.

Gwen heard Merlin leave the room and leaned her head on her hands, feeling that all the thoughts in there made it much too heavy. She heard a noise behind her, looked up quickly and was surprised to find Arthur standing behind her. "You are late. I actually thought that you would appear much earlier in the throne room," she said.

He looked thoughtfully at his wife and replied: "You were right about that, too, I have been in the throne room for some time. Even if you will reprimand me for this, I was worried and did not want you to speak to Merlin alone. In retrospect I am almost ashamed of it, but I have listened to my feelings so often and people close to me have betrayed me that I could never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you. My mind refuses to make a decision because I simply do not know enough, which is why I followed you very quickly. I guess I have been eavesdropping on almost the entire conversation in secret," he admitted sheepishly.

Gwen came shaking his head and gave him a kiss. "I hope you made good use of the time, paid attention and really listened to Merlin," she said mockingly.

He remained serious and said: "Yes, Merlin is a magician. I have seen it."

"Is that the only thing you keep from the conversation?" the queen asked further.

"No, but it is the first question I needed to clarify. So Merlin is a sorcerer. I still can't quite believe it, but it's so obvious now. I feel quite incompetent right now - not only have I not noticed for years that Merlin possesses magic, but I think I have often received the fame and recognition that Merlin deserved. When I think about Merlin being a magician... how many times did I pillory him in the beginning for teasing him too much? How often have I spoken disparagingly about him in his presence, saying that he is a coward and the worst servant imaginable? And when I think how many times I have agreed with my father in Merlin's presence that magic is evil. When I think about it, it is a miracle that Merlin told me - me, of all people - his secret of his own free will, that he is a sorcerer and therefore an arch-enemy of Camelot and, at the same time, apparently the protector of all Camelot. Oh, Gwen, what am I going to do now?' he asked perplexed.

"Arthur, is it not obvious? Talk to Merlin, really listen to him, and ask his advice, as you always do."

"I should ask him myself?" he asked, to make sure he'd got it right.

"Why not? You always ask him for advice or he tells you his advice to your face, even if you don't want to hear it. Why would you change this now, when it affects Merlin as well?"

Arthur didn't even notice he was nodding and stopped moving. Then he nodded again, gave his wife a kiss and went in search of Merlin.


	6. A true friend

Gwaine saw Merlin on his way to see Gaius. He called out to his friend, "Merlin, wait a minute!"

Merlin stopped and looked around at this one. "Hello Gwaine, I hope you haven't got another graze or bruise from a fight somewhere," he greeted the knight.

He shook his head innocently and said, "With all the ointments Gaius is putting on my wounds, I thought it might be a good idea if I accompanied you while you were gathering herbs, as bandits have been seen in the woods from time to time.

Merlin looked his friend in the eye and saw that all he could see there was sincere concern. "Thanks, Gwaine, but I don't need you to look after me. Unfortunately, as I know you'll come with me no matter what I say, I'll quickly ask what herbs Gaius needs and take two baskets with him."

Gwaine greeted the healer briefly and thanked him again for the final treatment of his wound, which had healed very well. He noted that both Gaius and Merlin appeared somewhat scattered today. But Merlin was already finished and the two of them went off into the woods.

Merlin was very quiet today. He didn't know if he might be alive tomorrow and there was nothing he could do about it. Carrying out his daily tasks was somehow comforting. It was also nice to have Gwaine to keep him company. It wasn't the first time the knight had accompanied Merlin simply because he wanted to.

Gwaine was going on and on about his last tavern call. Suddenly, he remembered a comment the King had made yesterday "Merlin, why does Arthur think you spend so much time at the tavern? We both know that's not true, because not only am I there quite often, but I think I'd be whispered to if you went there without me. Come to think of it, you once said that you and taverns didn't get along so well. Is that your excuse for taking the day off or..." Gwaine grinned widely and continued to talk enthusiastically "...it's a girl! "I can't believe it, little Merlin's actually got a girl and he says..."

Gwaine interrupted quickly when he saw a single tear escape from Merlin's eye as he tried to hide it from his friend.

"I'm sorry, I know unrequited love can be hard," Gwaine said in a serious voice. He was just teasing his friend and not trying to make him sad at all.

"That wasn't the problem, Gwaine," Merlin said dejectedly.

Gwaine looked astonished at Merlin, who smiled sadly. Gwaine did not know what to say - which was extremely rare. He didn't want to say the wrong thing at that moment or pressure his friend to confess something he wasn't ready to do and it was obviously painful.

Merlin didn't know how it happened but suddenly he heard himself say: "Her name was Freya, a druid girl. She was the most beautiful and kindest person I had ever met. I just wanted to run away with her - build a life of my own somewhere with her."

Gwaine waited for some time. He had noticed that Merlin hadn't used 'hot', but 'was' - in the past tense. Carefully, he asked, "What happened to her?"

Merlin took a deep breath and told him: "Unfortunately, an unfortunate accident had killed a man whose mother had cursed her: at the stroke of midnight she was to become a black and deadly beast."

Gwaine got goose bumps because he remembered the description.

"I didn't understand what she meant by the curse. I was just happy when we were together. But that night, she turned back into a winged panther. She recognized me, hesitated, was mortally wounded and fled to her hiding place. I found her, back in her human form, and she died in my arms. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her, that I don't miss her. What I would give to see her smile once more, to look into her beautiful eyes once more...", Merlin's voice broke. He turned again.

away from Gwaine to dry his eyes.

Gwaine, on the other hand, was sad. Sad that his friend was hiding so much grief inside of him without any comfort from his friends. He remembered some conversations with the knights about such a figure. He realized with horror that Arthur was the one who had taught the beast the deadly wound. Furthermore, Merlin's words made him realize that the girl had been a druid. Merlin had loved a druid girl, no, that wasn't right. Merlin still loved the druid Freya, even though her death must have been months ago. But that was beside the point. Arthur had unwittingly killed the woman Merlin loved

Gwaine cleared his throat: "Merlin, I cannot understand how much pain you still feel after so long, but how can you forgive Arthur. We both know it was Arthur who... who..." He broke off, as he didn't want to turn Merlin against Arthur either.

"Arthur was only protecting his people. Freya was cursed and as a beast, she had no control over what she did. "and as a beast, she had no control over what she did. I could blame the witch who cursed her, but she too acted out of loss and pain. I am just grateful that I was allowed to meet Freya and imagine that she is better now, wherever she is. Even though Freya is dead, she lives on in my memories and in my heart".

It remained quiet for quite a while, as both of them followed their own thoughts. Merlin had already stopped his horse and dismounted. They were now in a clearing where Merlin often filled up his herb supplies.

Suddenly his magic warned him. He turned quickly and saw an arrow heading straight for Gwaine's chest. As if in slow motion, Merlin could watch the arrow's trajectory. He knew that any indirect intervention by magic would come too late, only the direct stopping or deflection of the arrow would save Gwaine's life. Since Merlin did not have to think about saving his friend's life, his eyes glowed golden and the arrow just missed a stunned Gwaine. He immediately drew his sword and saw five bandits stepping into the clearing at once, one of them holding a crossbow.

"Pah, my ass, you never missed your target. I knew those were just silly sayings. Anyway, it's fine with me. A knight and a servant shouldn't be a problem for us. Kill them, but take your time with it," replied a brutal looking bandit, who, by his appearance, must be the leader.

Gwaine looked for Merlin and wondered what he was looking at. What he saw there almost made him drop his sword as his hands began to sweat. Merlin looked at the bandits with such a cold look that the crossbowman almost ran away in fear. Fear of his leader was the only reason he stayed in place. As Gwaine was attacked by two bandits, he lost sight of Merlin. He just stood there and waited. He watched Gwaine's fight from the corners of his eyes, but he trusted the knight's abilities.

The crossbowman was a much greater danger to Gwaine, as Merlin knew that the young bandit had told the truth about his abilities. He put the crossbow on again and Merlin's eyes glowed golden once more, causing the shooter to stumble and the arrow to fall to the ground. The leader had seen the young archer's alleged incompetence, so he lost his patience and knocked the boy out with the sword handle. So there were four left.

"Kill the servant at last, then we can still have some fun with the knight," the leader said to the third bandit. He drew his sword and went towards the apparently unarmed servant.

"I warn you only once, if you want to stay alive, then put down your sword and leave this clearing," Merlin said softly.

The bandit stopped abruptly and wondered at this warning. What could a puny servant do to him? He had already eliminated other enemies and was grazing on the agony of his , this one would suffer a particularly painful death. He grinned and replied: "Boy, if you are so kind as to warn me, I would like to do you the same favour. I will make you, like so many before you, whimper and you will beg for your death and after so much pain you will finally die mad and broken.

Gwaine was surprised to hear Merlin reply, "Even if I allowed it, you would not be able to break me by physical pain."

Angry that his intended victim seemed to have no fear of him, he lunged at Merlin and stumbled. Another flash of Merlin's eyes put the sword, which was pointing dangerously at the bandit's body by the wild and uncontrolled flapping of his hands, into a threatening position so that the bandit fell into his own sword with a scream and lay lifeless.

The leader was beside himself with so much incompetence. The man who had just passed away was his deputy and had already proven himself in many robberies. The knight still stood unharmed and his remaining allies did not give the impression that they had a real chance. He had to do it himself as usual. The two bandits could first distract the knight before he slaughtered the servant. After they had knocked the knight unconscious, they could tie him up and ... a cruel smile crept into his face at the thought. But first, he would crush this servant, no matter how disrespectful he was, and simply said to him, "I am giving you the same warning as I gave your dead ally. "Put down your sword and leave Camelot if you want to escape with your life." These words were spoken so loudly, even Gwaine and the other two bandits could hear them. Gwaine took advantage of their inattention and finished off one of his enemies. The other bandit went back to his own fight.

"You dare to threaten me? You are unarmed, still green and you dare to threaten me? Uh, I will enjoy killing you. I was planning on having a go at that knight, but no, you just got promoted to it. You'll wish you'd never addressed the word to me or even been born," he spat the words at Merlin's feet.

Merlin still looked at the bandit with a cold look and repeated the words he had also told the other bandit, this time a little louder: "Even if I would let you, you wouldn't be able to break me by physical pain, I told your dead ally this too before he attacked me.

"The fool isn't dead because he attacked you, but because he was just too stupid to walk!" shouted the leader.

"If that's what you mean," Merlin replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Slowly it became frightening. He had attacked the archer himself and a bandit fell out because of the knight's really excellent fighting skills, which is why he wanted to finish him off with a cowardly arrow. But how did it happen that his deputy lay dead on earth? Fear flinched and paralysed him. He couldn't afford to doubt. He had to get rid of that annoying servant and make him suffer a little first. Merlin saw that the leader had regained his composure and saw murderousness in his eyes. Gwaine had the second bandit under control by now and visibly enjoyed the fight.

The leader walked towards Merlin who did not take a step back or look worried. He quickened his pace, screaming out his frustration. Then he reached far out with his sword and tried to cut Merlin's head off, when suddenly he too stumbled. However, he could barely break the fall. Somehow the leader knew that he couldn't hurt the servant, for whatever reason. But he wanted to see blood at last, so he pounced on Gwaine, who didn't see the attack because he had just turned his back on Merlin and the leader. Gwaine was about to deal a mortal blow when he heard the shot of a crossbow in the fight with the other bandit. He turned quickly and saw the leader collapse right behind him. An arrow that probably directly into his heart, was sticking out of his back.

Gwaine looked around and saw that this time Merlin was not lying on the ground hiding but standing upright. If Gwaine didn't know better, he would have said Merlin was dreaming. He called him by name and finally his friend looked at him. "Merlin, are you hurt? Are you okay?" Gwaine asked.

Merlin looked at Gwaine for a long time and replied, "Yes, I have no injuries. As I can see, you don't even have a graze. Are you really not injured?"

Gwaine laughed and said, "No, I guess none of the bandits were really good at their job," but then he fell silent and looked at the leader of the bandits. "I know that man. I can't remember his name right now, but he definitely knew something about killing and fighting. His passion, if the rumors are true, was the slow torture of his victims. His death will make Camelot a little safer. But where did the arrow come from, and who shot it? Judging by the trajectory, the arrow must have come from that fainting bandit back there." Gwaine walked over to the man, carefully, and found that it was more like a boy of maybe 15. Gwaine shook his head. How come kids that age got mixed up with such brutal bandits?

"What are we going to do with the unconscious boy?" Merlin finally asked.

Gwaine looked at his friend and wondered. Leaving him here would most likely mean his death, but taking him with us would probably not be a good idea either.

"I don't know," Gwaine said with a sigh.

"I'll just gather up my herbs if I can use any more of these, and then we'll load him onto my horse. I can either ride with you or I can walk alongside," Merlin suggested.

"You want to save his life even though he shot at us more badly than right?" Gwaine asked snorting.

"More right than wrong," Merlin said thoughtfully beside him. "What did you just say?" asked the knight sternly, and saw Merlin's caught look.

"I ... The bandit can shoot well in safe situations ... Did you notice how great his fear of the leader was? I assume that the boy already knew the leader's reputation and did not necessarily trust him. The leader and his deputy both spoke of murder and torture. They were cruel murderers and they deserved to die, but does the boy deserve it? I'm not sure, and therefore he should at least get the chance to explain how it happened before I sign his death warrant." Merlin said the last words with increasing force, glaring at Gwaine with a scowy stare.

The latter looked at Merlin in astonishment. Time and again, the knight saw his friend make very wise and just decisions. It should not surprise him by now, and yet it did. Gwaine often wondered if Merlin was an old man after all, since he was considered to be an old man because of the length of his beard. He grinned at the idea of giving Merlin a long white beard and replied, "Okay, but don't think I'm sharing my beloved horse with you!

Merlin replied with a relieved grin and began to collect the herbs. Meanwhile, Gwaine checked to see if the other bandits were really dead and wondered if one had fallen on his sword. He shook his head and looked back at the leader with an arrow sticking out of his back. He remembered the words Merlin had said to the leader: 'I give you the same warning as I gave your dead ally. Lay down your sword and leave Camelot if you want to escape with your life.

Gwaine made big eyes. These words were spoken so full of cold and absolute power that he could not match them with Merlin's voice, but they were Merlin's words. He suspected something and would see if he was right or not. He addressed the word to Merlin with a slight note, "By the way, thanks for saving my life."

Merlin was just thinking Arthur and his reaction to his secret and replied, "You're welcome, you'd do the same."

Gwaine stared at Merlin and waited for him to start laughing at his joke or somehow realize that he hadn't exactly confirmed that Merlin had something to do with the arrow.

Merlin noticed that it suddenly became quiet and there was no chatter from Gwaine. There was also no sound of the knight moving in any way. Merlin turned around and looked into the staring eyes of his friend.

Gwaine found his voice again and said cuttingly, "If you're so easy to dismiss my thanks for saving me, surely it wouldn't be too much to ask you to explain how exactly you did it to save my life?

Merlin looked up and saw that he hadn't paid attention. He was about to start with a white lie, but Gwaine said, hissing, "Don't you dare lie to me. We're friends, for all I know. When one saves another's life, that's actually a reason to drink to that."

Merlin slumped down and sighed, "It doesn't matter now anyway. I might as well tell you now that Arthur knows."

He paused and gathered his strength. He had killed again, and to speak out was an even greater burden on his conscience. "I deflected the first arrow aimed at your heart. I diverted the second arrow that he was about to lay. I made sure the third bandit stumbled and he was pierced by his own sword. I stopped the leader from killing you by piercing his heart with an arrow." Merlin sat slumped in the grass and held his body tight as he was afraid to fall apart.

It took Gwaine a moment to understand the meaning of Merlin's words. Merlin had just saved Gwaine's life several times and the only explanation for how he had done it was magic. Merlin was a magician. This thought didn't bother Gwaine that much, he was more concerned with Arthur's reaction. Should he tell Arthur? Wait, Arthur already knew about this? Isn't that exactly what Merlin just said?

The knight looked at his friend, who was crouched and desperate on the ground. Yes, it did seem that Arthur knew about it, but hadn't made a decision. Gwaine slowly walked towards Merlin and carefully put his hand on his shoulder: "Let's go home, Merlin. We will take the boy with us, since it is your wish. Even if you are a sorcerer, Merlin, Arthur will eventually accept you. He may just need a bit more time than others."

Merlin looked up at Gwaine and saw the knight smile at him with a mischievous smile. "You're actually making fun of your king right now, and that he can be a bit slow-witted at times, even though you've just found out I've been lying to you for years about being a bloody sorcerer?!" cried Merlin in disbelief.

"Merlin, you are my friend. I trust you, I don't care if you can sparkle with your eyes besides cooking well. Besides, I understand you wanted to tell Arthur first, although I certainly don't envy you this conversation. Have faith in him, like you always have. Arthur, too, considers you his friend, even if he can't say it like that." He paused and looked around. "Let's take the boy and look after him in the dungeon so he can get his second chance," he ended and reached out his friend's hand so that he would finally stand up. Merlin took the offered hand, stood up and knocked the earth off his clothes. He collected his herbs and helped Gwaine hoist the boy onto his horse.

The return took a little longer because Merlin led his horse. Gwaine was just fine with that, as he could take his time to reflect on the experience of the trip. Although his friends would never confirm this, Gwaine was worried about them. He was very carefree with his own health, but that didn't mean that he was the same with his friends. The realization that the druid girl Freya, whom Merlin loved even beyond death, died by Arthur's hand, frightened him and made him very sad. He doubted that Arthur knew about it affect Arthur's decision regarding Merlin and his magic if he learned of it? He had previously wondered how it was that Merlin had fallen in love with a druid girl, but Merlin was, as Gwaine now knew, a wizard. Why would Merlin fear someone who was like himself?

Gwaine looked at Merlin and the unconscious boy came into his field of vision. He shook his head. Hopefully, he would not regret saving the boy. On second thought, the boy had not only tried to kill him, but would have succeeded if it weren't for Merlin. And although Merlin knew this from the beginning, he refused to let the boy die. Furthermore, the boy probably knew that Merlin was a sorcerer. This could further complicate the situation.

Gwaine decided to speak to the boy first, to make it clear to him that he was only alive because of Merlin's kindness. If he were to cause trouble for him, Gwaine would remedy the situation however he could. Gwaine liked to fight, there was no question about that and he enjoyed using his skills and ingenuity, but killing always had a bitter taste. He had deliberately prolonged the fight in the forest, keeping an eye on Merlin - in case he needed help - to give the bandits time to surrender. But since the longer the fight lasted, the more bitterly they fought, he had put an end to it all. He didn't want to leave Merlin defenceless to the others any longer and he also ran the risk of getting hurt himself.

While Gwaine was working out a plan, Merlin thought about Gwaine's words and vowed to himself that he would be patient with Arthur and that he would never lose his trust in him. He didn't know if it was a good thing that Gwaine had learned about his magic from Merlin himself, but he couldn't lie to him at that moment, Merlin didn't have the strength for that. But he was surprised and pleased how quickly Gwaine accepted his magic. And since Arthur knew it now, the knight was not in a conflict of conscience whether he should rather be loyal to his friend or his king.

Maybe it was also a good idea to tell the other knights about his magic in person. This thought triggered different feelings in Merlin: Relief that he then no longer had to lie to his friends, fear of the reaction and pain that his friends might reject his magic and thus reject him. For him it was clear, however, that he could not have these conversations today under any circumstances, since other tasks had priority for the time being. He looked up into the sky and noticed that they returned just in time for lunch. Merlin was not sure whether he was still the king's servant. Since he had not been officially replaced, he would continue to fulfill his duties. He would give Arthur no reason to complain and would perform all duties conscientiously and with absolute respect. A small, sad smile would creep up Merlin's face. Such behaviour would normally make Arthur furious as well. He had always had faith in Arthur and that would not change now. He had made a decision how he would at least tackle today and so he would now deal with every day he lived.


	7. Notes are notes

While Merlin cleared the earth from the herbs he had collected, cut them into pieces and worked them according to the way they were stored, Gwaine headed for the King's chamber. He insisted on taking Merlin's job of bringing lunch to the royal couple. He even knocked politely and waited until a stern "Come in!

Arthur's tense face gave way to a smile when he saw Gwaine and not Merlin as feared. "Gwaine, that's a rare sight to see you taking the trouble to even bring lunch to your oh so esteemed King," he said teasingly.

Gwaine replied, "My King, I am sorry to disappoint you. My efforts are only due to your lovely wife, for I cannot bear to see such a beautiful and wise woman go hungry. Since your two meals are unfortunately always served together, it was an unavoidable evil that your food is now also in this room. Gwaine's entire charm was directed towards Gwen. She only gurgled royally and was already sitting at the wooden table.

Gwaine then became serious and added: "The real reason I came is because I wanted to talk to you and this opportunity came in handy. I don't know if I'd rather have this conversation with you in private or if you should both hear my words."

Arthur turned pale because he'd had enough serious talk for his taste today and Gwaine never wanted to have that conversation.

"Well, since our breakfast is already kind of cancelled, I hope you don't mind if we start lunch while we're at it," Arthur asked hopefully. If they could have lunch at the same time, it wouldn't be such a serious conversation, would it?

"Certainly, my King. I was in the forest gathering herbs with Merlin until just now," Gwaine began, not escaping the king's wince at the mention of Merlin's name. "Since you're about to eat, I'll start with the informative part. We've been attacked by five bandits," he continued and was interrupted by Gwen: "Are you or Merlin hurt?" she wanted to know immediately.

Gwaine smiled at her. Either she knew nothing about Merlin's magic or it didn't make any difference to her and she continued to worry about her friend.

"I can reassure you, nothing has happened to me or Merlin. In fact, you'll be happy to know that the bandit leader who's been terrorising Camelot for weeks, torturing people to death for sport, is dead today.

Arthur interrupted him. "Guiomar?"

Gwaine thought for a moment, "Yes, that must have been his name. People were becoming restless and at certain times avoided certain parts of the forest. We should spread the word about his death, because people no longer need to fear his cruelty," Gwaine suggested.

King Arthur interrupted his lunch, got up and walked towards Sir Gwaine. He took Gwaine's right hand and put the other on his shoulder. "Sir Gwaine, I thank you, not only on my behalf, for ridding Camelot of this danger. It always makes me proud to see the deeds you do as a Knight of Camelot," Arthur said proudly.

Gwaine looked Arthur in the eye for a long time and replied, "Sire, it is gratitude enough for me to serve a king like you and fill you with pride. Besides, it is rarely boring around you. Especially the often bad chances of success in tricky situations I can't resist and you must not forget the excellent taverns."

Arthur was reassured that Gwaine, as usual, could not remain serious for long and returned his smile. But the king became restless again when he saw that Gwaine's features were once again taking on a serious expression.

"I'm sorry to say that while I have played my part in the fight, there is no way I can claim all the glory for myself," Gwaine confessed quietly, watching the King's reaction closely.

Arthur started laughing and said, "Since when did you become so modest, Sir Gwaine? To which other knight do I owe thanks? "If I understand you correctly, you were alone with Merlin?

Arthur paused and looked at Gwaine with equal attention. The knight was unusually serious and, for once, modest, which could not have been a coincidence. Gwaine knew something about Merlin. Did he know it all along?

"You knew, didn't you? You know Merlin's secret?" Arthur asked, carefully.

The silence that spread after this question almost crushed Arthur and he was about to repeat his question when Gwaine finally replied: "I only found out today after the bandit leader Guiomar almost killed me and was suddenly stopped.

He looked at Arthur calmly for a long time, gave him time to draw his own conclusions, and then went on: "Merlin wasn't on the case. He was unfocused and careless in his choice of words and his behaviour. I was just too lucky in this fight that it could still pass for coincidence. So I set Merlin a little trap. When he answered my thanks for saving my life with an absent 'You're welcome', I could figure it out. He had neither a sword in his hand nor a crossbow, and yet he not only saved me from a deadly sword stroke but also prevented an arrow from piercing my heart. I owe him my life and I wonder how many times he saved my life without hearing a thank you. There are two other things I must discuss with you."

Arthur raised his voice. "Is that all you have to say? You find out that your so-called friend has been lying to you for years and you just forgive him," Arthur asked with absolute disbelief in his voice.

"What is there to forgive? He had a secret. He did not want me to have to choose between loyalty to you, my king, and him, my friend. He only told me about it now, since you already knew it and I can therefore speak openly to you about it. Besides, I found out because Merlin saved my life. He deserves my thanks, my trust, but not my doubts.

"But he is a sorcerer," Arthur said reproachfully.

"Yes, but that does not automatically make Merlin a bad person, quite the contrary. Merlin is good, so good, it's starting to annoy me sometimes. And if you now come along with the fact that magic is against the law and that it carries a death sentence, then the law is just wrong, because Merlin does not deserve it at all. He cares, apparently protects us in secret, he heals and cares for our wounds, serves us although he doesn't expect a thank you, and yet he is a magician and could perhaps destroy us with a word. Merlin may be powerful, but do you really believe that Merlin, your friend and royal servant, is really evil? He is cheeky - definitely and always seemed like a clumsy fool, most of the time anyway, but he has never been deceitful or malicious."

Again, Gwaine paused to observe his king closely. Gwen had watched the knight closely throughout the conversation and asked, "You were talking about two other things?"

Gwaine turned to Gwen and answered nodding, "Yes, thank you my queen. The bandits' raid had a surprising side effect. Although four of the five bandits are dead, one is still alive. With them was a crossbowman, who somehow didn't quite fit into the group. He is maybe 15 years old and he was visibly afraid of his so-called allies. Since his arrows missed their target, the leader unceremoniously knocked him unconscious. I hope my actions did not arouse your disapproval?" Gwaine turned to Arthur again.

He merely shook his head and told Gwaine to continue.

"Merlin flatly refused to leave the boy and risk his death. "We loaded him onto Merlin's horse and he led it back to the castle. The boy is now, of course, in the dungeon, with Merlin again insisting that he be taken care of when he wakes up. Apart from a cut on his hasn't found anything yet. The boy would have killed me if it weren't for Merlin, and yet Merlin vehemently refused to leave the boy lying there, as he should at least be given a chance to explain himself," Gwaine concluded, looking at Arthur meaningful.

"There is something else I would like to discuss with you, but that will have to wait. I'll go to the dungeon right away and see how the boy is doing. I suggest you have lunch in peace with your lovely wife and then perhaps form your own opinion of the boy, so you can decide on his punishment." Gwaine saw the King nod, bowed and headed for the dungeons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a Review if you like this story, it really helps writers a lot to know what their readers think about their works:)


	8. Gareth

Gareth woke up with a booming headache. He didn't know where he was or what had happened. Carefully he opened his eyes and closed them again, as the light was uncomfortable. He blinked and realized that he was lying on a straw mat. Carefully he looked around and jumped up when he realized that he was probably trapped in a cell. He looked around quickly, but there was definitely no escape route. Helplessly he buried his face in his hands. What had he gotten himself into?

Then the memories came back. He knew that it was absolute bad luck that just the bandit leader Guiomar had heard his brag about his crossbow skills. He had had no choice but to take part in the robbery. He knew the reputation of the bandit and he did not want to be his next victim. But how come he was now in a cell and relatively unharmed? He could not imagine that the knight and the servant had won this confrontation, yet it looked that way since he was in the dungeon. Even though he was stuck here, he was happy that he was still alive and had not taken the life of another. He did not notice that Gwaine was already standing outside his cell door studying the boy's facial expressions.

"Why do you seem to be relieved when you are in jail?" the knight asked.

The boy started up, stared at the knight with big eyes and thought he saw a ghost.

"Don't be afraid, boy, nothing will happen to you for now," Gwaine tried to calm the boy, who looked like a frightened deer.

"You...you...you," the boy stuttered.

"Let's start at the beginning. I am Sir Gwaine and I am a Knight of Camelot. What's your name?" Gwaine asked nicely.

"My name is... My name is... " He swallowed hard, then finally squeezed out 'Gareth'.

"OK, Gareth, thanks for telling me your name. What's the last thing you can remember?", the knight asked cautiously.

The boy looked at the knight with a veiled look at first, until the knight cleared up and he stared into two alert eyes: "The bandits had forced me to take part in a robbery. I was so stupid and boasted of my skills in a tavern that I could hit any target within a radius of 50 metres. Unfortunately, Guiomar heard that." The boy trembled when he pronounced the bandit leader's name. "I knew that my arrogance had forfeited my life. I knew the bandit's reputation and I realized I could only make the wrong choice. I did not want to die in agony, so I went with them. You just asked me why I looked relieved. There are two reasons: I didn't think I'd be alive now, and I didn't remember killing anyone with my arrows. My bragging was about the fact that I am really good at shooting apples - apples! But not at people!" He buried his face in his hands again

"Do you have an explanation why your arrows missed?" Gwaine asked with a blank expression.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. The first arrow should have hit you right in the heart," he said without thinking. "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...had I known that...", the boy broke off.

Gwaine saw the fear in the boy's eyes and tried to appear less threatening.

"I'm ashamed now that I was such a coward. I should have preferred to risk escape rather than become a killer myself. But I didn't want my mother to be involved, too. I couldn't bear that, and if I were dead, she would be all alone. If only I had kept my mouth shut and not been so stupid," he said in a reproachful voice.

Gwaine looked at the boy and smiled. He reminded him of himself. He was reckless, liked taverns, boasted and didn't like killing.

Suddenly, the boy looked up and asked, "Why am I still alive? Even though you seem to have really won the fight. how come I'm here?"

"Merlin refused to leave you behind and risk your death," Gwaine said.

"But I don't know any Merlin. The only one left in the forest was the servant with the cold eyes. He really scared me. How could he just stand there seemingly unarmed and yet radiate such great power? I almost fled, but the fear of Guiomar was still greater at that moment, so I dropped the arrow out of excitement." He shook his head in disbelief. "I have never dropped an arrow before," he added.

"You describe the servant as a dangerous and cold person, but he is a very good friend of mine. You must remember that this was a situation of life and death. To be honest, I never saw him like that either, but the situation was also highly dangerous. It was he who refused to let you die even though you attacked us with lethal intent. The other bandits found death in the forest. All four were given enough time to become aware of their actions and lower their weapons. Since they did not do so, we finally had to defend ourselves. Since the bandits were outnumbered, our only chance was to eliminate the danger. The King will ultimately decide what to do with you, but I'm glad I listened to Merlin and we didn't leave you in the forest to die," Gwaine added.

"Thank you," the boy said.

Gwaine waved and said, "You should be thanking Merlin, not me. He was the one who made sure nothing happened to you. He also bandaged your scalp laceration, brought you fresh water and some food."

The boy looked surprised. "But why?"

Gwaine smiled. "That's Merlin for you. He can be a pain in the ass with that pointy tongue of his, responsible for a lot of laughter, but he can't watch someone die."

"Just so I don't misunderstand you: The servant with the cold look is supposed to be this Merlin you told me about, who saved my life even though I attacked you cowardly before?", Gareth asked uncertainly.

Gwaine nodded and let the boy pursue his thoughts.


	9. You can do it

Arthur quickly ate his lunch and discussed with Gwen that she should finally take care of the paperwork and he should take care of the prisoner in the dungeon. On the way there, he met Gwaine, who briefly summarized his conversation with the boy. Since Arthur wanted to see for himself, he continued on his way. He sent the guards away because he didn't know if the boy had seen Merlin's magic.

Arthur cleared his throat and Gareth looked up. Arthur waited for the younger one to bow and greet him appropriately, when the thought occurred to him that perhaps the prisoner didn't know who he was, so he took the floor: "Hello Gareth. I have just met Sir Gwaine who has already told me about your conversation. I'd like to form an opinion before I decide what to do with you."

The boy opened his eyes in horror. Then he threw himself to the ground, bowed deeply and remained in this position.

"You can rise again. I want you to tell me everything you remember about the robbery. I want to hear every word, every detail that you can remember. And remember that I want to hear the truth. I advise you not to lie to me, because the consequences of uncovered lies will always be worse than the truth," the king threatened.

Gareth nodded his approval and quickly said: "Yes, my king. Of course, my king. I will tell you everything I remember and I will not lie to you under any circumstances. He took a deep breath and began to tell about the attack: "I was afraid of the bandits, but they had left me no choice but to go with them. No, that's not quite right. I thought I had no choice. We saw a knight of Camelot and a servant gathering herbs. Guiomar was pleased to find a knight of Camelot alone and was already imagining the torture of them both. His words made me sick to my stomach. It was not only the torture alone, but especially with what pleasure and light in his eyes he spoke of it. He wanted me to take out the knight because they are known for their courage and strength. I aimed my arrow directly at the knight's heart and fired. It was a perfect shot. I could already see how the arrow hit its target and I felt miserable. But the arrow was deflected out of nowhere and didn't even touch the knight. At first I was relieved, but then I saw the cold look of the servant. He was unarmed, had no shield - nothing with which he could defend himself. The knight was involved in a fight with two bandits and so he couldn't help him either. Nevertheless he stood there, unbending and radiating power. Maybe it was just a feeling, but he scared me. However, when I looked into the face of the bandit leader, my heart stumbled in terror. Though the servant may have been dangerous, Guiomar certainly was. I had heard the embellishments of his planned torture, and I didn't want to draw his wrath on me under any circumstances. Hectically, I wanted to put a second arrow, but it literally jumped out of my hand. I was still looking at the object lying on the ground in bewilderment when Guiomar hit me on the head in anger and I fainted. At first I could not believe Sir Gwaine that the servant had rescued me, treated me and fed me. This one radiated such a cold determination that I did not understand my salvation through him. If I may, I would like to speak to him, say thank you and ask him why he has worked to save my insignificant life, even though I had ambushed his friend before.

Arthur had listened carefully to the boy's report and agreed with Gwaine that he had probably just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wondered if he would grant the boy his wish. On the other hand, Merlin would want to check on him anyway and see if the wound on his head hadn't gotten infected. He himself had never experienced Merlin in the way the boy had described him. However, Arthur also knew about himself that he had a completely different charisma in a fight than in everyday life. "Since I couldn't find a lie in your report, I thank you for your honesty. At the moment it looks like you do not have to fear a death sentence, but there will have to be a punishment," Arthur said seriously.

When the boy jumped up hastily and asked: "Please, please, do not hurt my mother. She is a good person. I am responsible for my actions, so I alone will bear the consequences!"

"What makes you think I want to punish your mother?", the King asked uneasily. "I order you to answer this question honestly. Immediately!"

The boy's voice trembled as he said, "Because... because... because you can. You are the King."

Arthur had to digest those words - the situation reminded him too much of Merlin. The boy accused him - Arthur - of punishing Gareth's mother simply because he had the power to do so. He would have been outraged at this statement if he hadn't thought exactly the same thing about Merlin all day. Merlin possessed magic and he had the power to punish and hurt people, but that didn't mean that he was even remotely considering it...

"Thank you, you have just helped me to an important insight. "Don't worry, your mother will not be punished, for the simple reason that it would not be fair."

Without another word, the King went back to his chambers and left a puzzled and relieved Gareth alone with his questions.


	10. The faces of the forgotten

Merlin had finally processed all the herbs and put them away. Gaius was not in his rooms at the moment, as he was with a patient in the castle. Merlin enjoyed the silence and was able to lurch, lost in thought. He could see that it must be time for dinner by now and went to the kitchen to get dinner for Arthur and Gwen. He stepped resolutely back to Arthur's room and knocked. Gwen invited him in.

"Oh, hello, Merlin. I haven't seen you all day. I'm relieved to see that you're really well and that you came through the bandit attack unscathed."

For a moment, a shadow flitted across Merlin's face.

"I wanted to thank you for ridding Camelot of that Guiomar, but looking at the look on your face, I'm not sure you even want to. It says a lot about your character that even the death of really bad people troubles your conscience," said Gwen.

"I understand the reason for your gratitude, but every death that I have caused weighs on me. I keep seeing their faces just before they die. Often I have simply forgotten them, and then suddenly all the terrible impressions come crashing down on me without warning. Sometimes I'm even afraid that I might have forgotten a face after all," Merlin confessed.

Gwen looked at Merlin in consternation and saw pain in her friend's face again. She wondered how many people Merlin must have secretly killed if he was afraid of forgetting the faces of the dead. This question worried her more than she wanted to admit. She wondered if she really knew her friend enough to trust him. On the other hand, she also knew that Merlin abhorred killing and that he only accepted killing in self-defense and as a last option.

"I also heard that you not only saved Gwaine's life, but the boy's as well," she tried to start a conversation with Merlin again.

"The boy is awake? Oh, I'm glad, then I'll go and see him right away and see if the wound hasn't reopened and bring him fresh water as well. Can I do something for you before I go, my lady?" Merlin asked and was already with the boy in his thoughts.

Gwen sighed. Merlin did not only address her by her title, he had actually knocked. She missed the cheeky and supposedly carefree Merlin, who always drove her husband crazy. She had hope that if Arthur accepted Merlin as he was, he would almost be the same again.

"No, no, Merlin. I have everything. Thank you very much. Go to the boy," she said and the door closed and Merlin was already on his way to the dungeon.

A short moment later Arthur stepped inside the door. "Ah, there you are, Gwen, I've been looking for you, brooding over the papers."

"but I wanted a word with Merlin in case he wanted to talk to you. would bring us dinner. He was just there and he's really not hurt, but I'm worried. I miss the sassy, clumsy boyfriend who always makes you laugh. When I look at Merlin now, I see worry and pain. I suspect that Merlin has experienced so much suffering and death and no one could take away a piece of the burden that seems to rest on his shoulders because he always had to pretend. I don't know if we have seen a part of Merlin or if this was a facade. But I can't imagine that because he was always so honestly concerned about you that I think we really know Merlin. But he couldn't show us his pain because that would have automatically led to his secret," Gwen replied with a sigh.

Arthur went to his wife and took her in his arms. "I was just in the dungeon and spoke with Gareth. He described Merlin as seemingly defenseless in this situation and yet he radiated a determination and power that frightened the boy. I think we don't know this side either, as it is also connected to Merlin's magic. I want to talk to him and learn to understand him. I believe I owe that not only to him, but to myself as well. The boy Gareth just asked me not to punish his mother, simply because I have the power to do so. I was angry at the first moment. Such behaviour would be dishonourable and unjust and yet that is exactly what I have been accusing Merlin of all day. Who knows if he hasn't cast a spell on me? He's a sorcerer, he can kill you on a whim in the blink of an eye. I realized that even though I have the power to sentence an innocent man to death, that doesn't mean I'll actually do it or even consider it. I will speak to Merlin tomorrow and I will listen to him. I had briefly toyed with the idea of throwing him into the dungeon, but what sense does it make if he really is a wizard and can free himself at any time with ease? I will sleep in peace about the events of today and tomorrow everything will surely be half as complicated," said Arthur and gave his queen a kiss on the forehead.

Gwen smiled reassuringly at her husband and said, "I'm sure everything will work out. I'm sure in a few days everything will be back to normal."

Just how false their hopes were will soon become apparent.


	11. Why you keeping me alive?

Merlin quickly ran to the kitchen again and fetched water and some bread for the prisoner. He also had a fresh bandage and new ointment for the head wound in his bag. On the way to the dungeon, Merlin briefly found back to his old ease and he jumped down the dungeon steps whistling. He slowed down for a moment and with a broad smile he noticed that the boy looked a little exhausted but otherwise quite healthy.

"Hey, I'll bring you fresh water and some bread. I should also check your bandage and see what I have to go to the cell for. I'm glad you woke up and didn't suffer any serious damage from the blow on your head," it gushed out of Merlin. Since the guards knew Merlin and knew that he was the healer's apprentice, they opened the cell door without comment and let Merlin in with his utensils.

The boy recoiled hastily. "It is you! You are the servant from the forest," he said in shock.

Merlin frowned and took a few steps away from the boy again. "Yes, who else should I be?" he asked.

"You ... You must be Merlin. I was told that the servant from the forest not only brought me here but also looked after my head wound. Why did you save me? I attacked you, and I did it by ambush. Why don't you take revenge for my cowardice? Why do you come whistling to me and rejoice that I am well? You don't even know me. You would have every reason to trample me underfoot," the boy ended.

Merlin looked at the boy for a long time before he replied: "Excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself in my eagerness. Yes, you are right that my name is Merlin and yes, we have already met today in the forest. May I ask your name?"

"Gareth," came the whispered answer.

"Gareth, good. I realise you need answers to your questions before I can redress the wound on your head. So I'll be as brief as possible. It seems you made a big mistake when you got involved with the bandits. I couldn't see any murder or cruelty in you, but your fear was clearly visible in your eyes. Since there were five of you and only two of us - I didn't even have a sword with me - it was unlikely that you were afraid of us. You were afraid of your supposed allies, so I wondered how that happened. Let me guess and say that you don't enjoy killing, that you never wanted to meet these bandits. The leader even knocked you unconscious himself, which was another indication that you weren't really part of the group. So I made many observations that suggested you didn't deserve to die. If I had left you unconscious in the forest, I might as well have picked up a sword and stabbed you with it. I abhor killing. I don't even like to hunt with the King. So we took you with us so you at least had a chance to live. What happens to you now is for King Arthur to decide. But you need not worry, the King is fair and will find a solution that is both for the good of Camelot and for you. That's just the way Arthur is," declared Merlin.

Gareth nodded and Merlin took this as a sign to be allowed to approach him. He carefully placed the water and bread on the small table. Then he slowly stepped towards Gareth and carefully loosened the bandage. Merlin looked at the wound with a trained eye and was satisfied so far. "I will now apply the ointment. This can burn very badly, but you will be able to bear it," Merlin warned him.

Gareth flinched when the sharp ointment hit his wound. A smell of herbs spread through the cell and Gareth closed his eyes. Merlin applied the ointment to the entire wound and took a new bandage to cover the wound.

"Good, that's done. The bandage has to stay on the wound urgently. "I will come back tomorrow and check on you and renew it."

"Thank you, Merlin. I thank you not only for saving my life, but for showing me such kindness and kindness I certainly don't deserve. Above all I thank you for preventing me from becoming a murderer," Gareth said and looked up gratefully.

Merlin looked alarmed. "What makes you think that?"

"I... I don't know exactly, it's more a feeling that you're the reason for it. Your behaviour in the forest is so different from your behaviour here. I think your behavior was the only defense you had

and you used them," the boy finally said.

Merlin calmed down. He couldn't quite follow Gareth's train of thought but that didn't matter at first. More important was that Gareth had apparently not seen that he had used magic.

"Gareth, how old are you anyway and where does your family live, I'm sure they're worried about you?"

"Oh, my mother will be worried sick. We live south of Camelot, in the small village of Luton. Could you maybe let her know that I'm all right and that she needn't worry? Otherwise, as far as I know, I have no other family. It's just me and my mother so far. Oh, yes, I know I look older, but I'm only fourteen, although I like to pretend I'm eighteen at the tavern, and I'm usually fine." Gareth's eyes darkened.

"I'll see that your mother is notified. I must go now, though, as I'm sure I still have to help Gaius. See you tomorrow," Merlin said goodbye. The guards unlocked the cell, Merlin stepped outside and it was locked again.

Merlin finally hurried to Gaius. He was so exhausted that he almost fell into his bed without anything to eat. But since he knew that firstly he needed his strength and secondly Gaius certainly wanted to talk to him in peace, he sat down at the already laid table where the old man was sitting. The old man looked at Merlin. He had not suffered any injuries from the attack, but Gaius could imagine that the death of the bandits had burdened Merlin.

They began to eat in quiet agreement. They had already eaten the entire dinner when Merlin addressed the word to Gaius: "I know I should have warned you that I want to tell Arthur my secret today. I was not at all sure whether I would really get around to it, my courage would fail me or a crisis would arise. Even though I do not know what Arthur will decide, it is a great relief for me. I don't have to lie to Gwen and Arthur any more. I could tell the truth to Gwaine too, when he asked not to be lied to anymore. He treats me the same way he did before. He was fine with me keeping secrets from him because he understood the reason why. Gwen also tries to deal with the information as best she can. But I can tell she has little doubt because she doesn't know so much about me yet, even though we are friends. Well, and Arthur. Arthur's been avoiding me. I haven't seen him since this morning.

Gaius frowned. Arthur had gone into the throne room just after Merlin and Gwen.

"It's been a long, eventful, long day for me. "If you have no more pressing business for me, I would get into bed. I doubt tomorrow will be a restful day," Merlin asked.

Gaius already shook his head unconsciously and looked for the right words. "Merlin, I am not angry with you for not telling me. I'm just worried about you. It was probably right to tell Arthur about your secret. Maybe you should have told him a long time ago. Who knows? I'm glad you survived tonight's raid unscathed and I've been able to join you for dinner. I'm also very proud of you for saving that boy's life. Go to bed, you've earned some rest and it's been a very exhausting day for you. There's nothing that needs to be done today. Sleep well, Merlin," he said.

Merlin replied, "Thank you, Gaius, that means a lot to me. You sleep well, too."

The young magician shuffled into his chamber and fell into bed exhausted.


	12. Lancelots shadow

Merlin slept the night restful and dreamless. Slowly he moved and blinked. Then he stretched with relish and snuggled back into his warm bed. A new morning had dawned. He was already thinking about what to do today.  
Full of energy he jumped out of bed. He had to clean up the royal couple's room as usual and clear it of dirt, check Arthur's clothes, get breakfast and whatever else the king could think of. If Merlin again irritated Arthur too much, it was also likely that he had to clean out the stables again. So this morning would be like so many others before it. Merlin faltered at the thought, and he only just woke up. He had told Arthur his secret yesterday! This morning would certainly not be what he was used to. Arthur knew about his secret and he had been able to spend the night comfortably in his own bed. He had not been banished, nor was he about to be executed. So today was a good day and Merlin's familiar smile was stolen into his face. He greeted his surrogate father with a radiant "Good morning, Gaius!", shovelled the porridge into his mouth at a remarkable speed and had already stumbled out of the door.  
On the way to the kitchen Merlin whistled happily to himself again. The cook also greeted him with a smile and was pleased that the royal servant seemed to be better today. She had been secretly worried about him. But since he still looked a bit pale and definitely didn't eat enough, she not only threw him a juicy apple, but also a piece of freshly baked bread. Merlin smiled gratefully at her and made a sweeping bow. She laughed and shook her head at the same time.  
Merlin set off for the King with an even wider grin and ate the wonderfully fragrant bread and the delicious apple on the way. He stepped into the room, as he often did, without knocking, and arranged breakfast on the wooden table. He looked around and, as always, was amazed at how much disorder the king was able to make, for this usually referred only to the king's possessions. Merlin began to clean up the mess, lay out new clothes for the king and wipe away dirt and dust here and there. When he wanted to clear the table, as the leftovers of the dinner were still there, a chalice fell from his hand. By the golden glow of his eyes and a gesture with his hand, the chalice was stopped in its fall and floated slowly back to the mountain of used dishes. Merlin exhaled with relief and tried to open the door carefully. Since it always made a lot of noise when closing it, Merlin stepped outside quickly and with another glow in his eyes and a soft murmuring spell, the door closed without a sound. However, the royal couple was already awake and Gwen smiled slightly, with Arthur frowning. Gwen gave her husband a kiss, to which this time he responded with a smile, since he was awake for once.  
"Good morning, Arthur. I hope you slept well?" said Gwen in a good mood.  
"I wish you a good morning too, Gwen, but did you just see Merlin use magic to keep the cup from falling to the floor?!", Arthur returned in astonishment and sat up.  
"Yes, I did, and to be honest, I found it entertaining. He also managed to close the door without making a sound. Magic seems to be quite practical, but I don't think he noticed we were already awake," said Gwen laughing.  
"I ... It is so unusual to see that magic can be used for everyday things. Even I can't see evil in this use of magic. After all, he only avoided loud noises so that we wouldn't be woken," Arthur replied with a sigh and let himself fall back into his pillow.  
Gwen slid closer to her husband. "That's a good approach. I will tell him this thought in a moment and then we will have a plan to soften you up for Merlin's magic after all. Remember that you promised yesterday you would talk to him today! I'll be right back. I'll just get dressed in my rooms, since Merlin seems to have forgotten how to knock again," she said to Arthur and gave him a quick kiss.  
Arthur, on the other hand, didn't want to get up yet, but he wanted to face Merlin with his clothes on. He was relieved to find that Merlin had already laid out his clothes and he dressed himself alone for once. He was still not quite finished when Merlin stumbled back into the room.  
"Good morning, Arthur. You're already awake and I see that you're already

almost dressed! Let me help you with the last piece of clothing," Merlin said happily.  
Since Merlin had already turned his gaze to the not yet seated garment, he did not notice Arthur's expression. He had to pull himself together, not to flinch, as Merlin quickly straightened the garment and pulled all the loops and threads into place.  
"So, thanks to me you are properly dressed. "What would you do without me?"  
"Merlin, I am perfectly capable of dressing myself," Arthur said in outrage.  
Merlin raised one eyebrow, smiled mockingly, but said nothing more. Arthur left it at that, because in that moment Gwen came in.  
"Good morning, Merlin. Thank you for bringing breakfast already. I'm really very hungry," she said and as if on cue her stomach rumbled. Merlin had to refrain from laughing and was much more successful than Arthur, who caught a stern look from his wife.  
"Good morning, my Queen," Merlin said with a bow, adding, "I'm glad to please you with good food, Gwen."  
The royal couple sat down and began breakfast. Merlin took advantage of the time and quickly mended a trouser leg, since Arthur had once again got stuck somewhere.  
After a while, Arthur cleared his throat and then addressed Merlin: "Merlin, I'm sorry I sent you away yesterday without explanation after your confession. I needed time to sort out my thoughts. I would not have been able to listen to you yesterday.  
"Since when do you really listen to me? That is not one of your strengths," Merlin gave to consider with a mischievous smile.  
"Merlin!", Arthur admonished his servant, actually pleased that he was as cheeky and disrespectful as ever. Even his wife's nodding confirmed to him that he was probably a bad listener. He decided to teach them both better. "I promised to listen to you and that's exactly what I'm going to do. We have a council meeting this afternoon, but there is still some time left before then. If you don't mind, I'd like to listen to whatever you have to say," Arthur said to Merlin and looked him straight in the eye.  
Merlin bowed before the king and replied, "Thank you. You cannot imagine how much this means to me. Now that you know about my magic, there are a few things I have to tell you and it would be good if Gwen would be present during this conversation as well, since she would certainly want to hear this," he looked at his queen.  
Gwen nodded.  
"I want to say in advance that I am not bringing this subject up to cause you pain, but to help you understand what really happened. Please let me first tell you without interruption what I urgently want to tell you. You are welcome to ask me anything you want to know afterwards," Merlin said pleadingly. As the royal couple nodded, he continued: "The only knight who knew about my magic was Lancelot.  
At the name, Gwen and Arthur flinched, deliberately avoiding looking in each other's direction.  
"I didn't tell him. He heard me. It was true that no ordinary weapon or blade could harm a griffin. A griffin is a creature of magic and only with magic can you defeat this creature. You were already wounded and unconscious. I had to protect you. Lancelot, the brave knight, took up the lance and rode towards the griffin. He didn't stand a chance alone. I muttered the spell over and over again, but I just couldn't do it. At the last moment the words on my tongue felt right and the lance began to glow. Lancelot hit the creature and through the enchantment he could really kill the animal. Since Lancelot knew that he had not defeated the beast alone, he left, because he felt that he did not deserve all the glory. Since then, Lancelot knew I had magic. That was also the reason why the knight always wanted to go with me when forming teams, because he knew that I could then use my magic unhindered. Lancelot knew that I intended to stop Arthur from sacrificing himself "It was clear to me that I would take your place, Arthur. Merlin made eye contact with his friend, which was reciprocated with mixed emotions. "But I had not thought of the brave Lancelot who knew me too well and wanted me to continue to stand by Arthur's side. for that was the best way to protect the king."  
"And keep his promise to protect you, Arthur, with his life," whispered Gwen softly and tears welled up in her eyes. Also

Arthur had to blink hard so that no tear left his eyes.  
"When Lancelot returned, I could hardly believe my luck, and yet I was sceptical. How could he be back? When I told him I'd done everything in my power, even used magic if I could, I could tell from his answer that he didn't know I could do magic! No matter what Lancelot's been through, he would never forget that. So I searched again for an answer in various spellbooks and I found it. I was afraid that Lancelot was only a shadow of himself, a so-called shadow spirit, who is a puppet and was brought back by a dark spell. I drew a spell on the floor, which he would step on in any case, and activated it. When Lancelot stepped on the spell, his skeleton shimmered through his body. The book said that was proof that Lancelot was a shadow spirit. The only thing that this shadow did before his alleged suicide was to break the two of you, and I can only imagine a sorceress who wanted to achieve this with all her might."  
Arthur and Gwen both whispered, "Morgana!" at the same time, looking at each other in disbelief.  
"Yes, Morgana, for Morgana knows nothing of my magic, and this ignorance is my best protection. So she couldn't give this information to Lancelot either. I don't know how she did it, what spell she used, whether it was a locket or some other spell, but she must've put a spell on Gwen somehow, and then your uncle made sure Arthur saw Gwen and Lancelot."  
Suddenly Gwen startled and she whispered in horror, "The bracelet! Lancelot had taken his leave and he gave me a bracelet. How could I not have seen this before? Only when I put it on, these unwanted and long-forgotten feelings were there, and when I tore it off in the dungeon out of anger, I couldn't explain how this whole situation could have come about in the first place, because I love Arthur with all my heart and I had absolutely no doubts!"  
She got more and more upset in her last sentence. She finally had an explanation for her behaviour. The only thing she had done wrong was to have accepted a gift from an alleged friend. She could forgive herself for that. She couldn't forgive herself after all this time for betraying Arthur. But then another thought crossed her mind. "I was too weak to stop it," she said accusingly.  
"No, Gwen, you are not to blame. Such a spell is not so easily broken, if that is even possible. That you were able to remove the bracelet yourself shows how much you love Arthur and how much pain and anger it took for you to have the strength to do so. I am truly sorry for the pain you have suffered. I made sure Lancelot was released and he was at peace. I'll leave you now, as I'm sure you'll need to process what I've said. I'll make myself useful and see to Gareth."  
Merlin bowed and, almost out the door, heard a whisper of thanks.

Gwen and Arthur remained silent for a while. The silence was not as pleasant as usual, but both had to process what they had said and reassess situations, as this information changed them. Gwen was a little relieved that she had not been mistaken in the true Lancelot, but she could not completely absolve herself of the guilt. She should have been stronger. She should have... She knew it wouldn't work. But still, knowing it made her feel better. She shook her head in disbelief and turned to Arthur.  
"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked irritated, as he had his own thoughts and reproaches.  
"There's a chance that Merlin will really listen to him for once and he can explain everything and what did he do? He tells you nothing of his fate, his task. He mentions in a subordinate clause that he saved you, but only because he wanted to explain how Lancelot learned of his magic. He told us the very thing that will bring us closer together again. He knew how much I still blame myself and how much I suffer from my guilt. I'm sure he also knows better than I do how much my betrayal affected you, since he was with you all the time, and even though we've come together again, I know that this betrayal still hurts you."  
"Gwen," Arthur began, "you have not betrayed or betrayed me. Merlin has just explained that a dark spell and probably my sister were responsible. She couldn't bear the thought of me being happy and you being my

"Think about it. Merlin knew that wasn't the real Lancelot. If only I hadn't held fast to what my father taught me about magic. If only I had not formed a one-sided opinion about magic, Merlin might have dared to tell me that Lancelot was only a shadow of his former self, and that Merlin knew this because he could confirm it with a spell. Instead of taking you to the dungeon, Merlin would certainly have discovered the bracelet and discovered its effects quickly. I never would have had to live so long with all that pain and loneliness without you. I'm to blame for that. I should have trusted you more and investigated your behaviour, which was totally unbecoming.  
"Arthur, look at me," asked Gwen, since she could discern the incriminating self-accusations in every syllable, knew them all too well herself and wanted to take away her husband's self-doubt.  
Arthur raised his eyes and looked into his wife's eyes with a tortured expression.  
"I love you. We are together and that is all that matters. Through Merlin, we now know that I would never have betrayed you willingly and that is a gift I never dreamed of. Let us not ruin this by inventing reasons for our suffering, because that is in the past. Let's enjoy the present happily together and really close this chapter. I can almost forgive myself for my actual offence and you are not to blame, quite the contrary. You married me even though you thought I had cheated on you, you love me so much. I love you all the more for it." Gwen was relieved to see Arthur's features gradually relaxing and a smile spreading on his lips. "Let us not be so selfish as to think only of ourselves when our best friend still has no idea what his future in Camelot will be."  
"You're right as usual, Gwen, but I don't know what Merlin's future in Camelot will be either," he admitted.  
"Maybe, but you know what future definitely won't be waiting for him, don't you? Merlin deserves to know that as soon as possible."  
Arthur nodded, kissed his wise wife and set off again to find Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you enjoy reading this chapter and let me know what you think about the story


	13. Manners maketh man

Merlin quickly fetched a piece of bread and fresh water from the kitchen. At Gaius's house he was going to get a new bandage and ointment, when the healer asked Merlin when he entered the room: "How did it go?"  
Merlin first looked at Gaius questioningly, but then it was clear to him what Gaius was referring to. "I believe I was able to bring Arthur and Gwen closer together again. After the story with Lancelot's shadow something had changed between the two of them and I hope they can sort it out now," he replied.  
"What else did you tell them?' Gaius asked further.  
"I left them alone so that they could talk undisturbed, besides, I have to check on Gareth again slowly.  
Without waiting for another answer or question from Gaius, Merlin grabbed his utensils and was already on his way to the dungeon. Downstairs he greeted the guards and also Gareth.  
Merlin asked the guards to let him back into the cell as he had to continue treating the wound. First he gave Gareth the food and with a gesture he asked him to eat first. While Gareth ate, Merlin began a conversation: "With a full stomach, the day begins much better and you can bear pain better. It is necessary that I wash the wound and change the dressing."  
Gareth thanked him and Merlin realised Gareth wasn't as frightened of him as he'd been. After Gareth had breakfast, Merlin treated his head wound again, which was already beginning to heal.  
"I'm sorry, the king is very busy at the moment and I don't know when he will pass judgement. I have sent a message to your mother, as I promised, and offered her to come with the knight who delivered the message, so that she could arrive safely at the castle. I will, of course, let you know if I have any news of her or if she has arrived."  
Gareth shakes his head in disbelief. "Merlin, thank you. "I cannot believe I am better off in the dungeons than I am at home. I don't know what herbs you're using, but they not only seem to help with the healing process, they seem to make the pain less. I am a bit interested in herbs, but to be honest, I still find crossbow shooting better. I can handle a sword, but I'm not good enough for combat.  
Merlin took notice.  
"I don't know what to do with my life," the boy said in consternation.  
"Can you handle horses?" Merlin asked.  
"Yes, of course, why?" Gareth asked back.  
"I might have an idea that I could put to the king. Just let me think about it a bit more. What do you actually think about Sir Gwaine?" asked Merlin, supposedly changing the subject.  
"He is brave, friendly and I admire his martial arts," Gareth said with a frown.  
Merlin jumped up hastily and his idea continued to take shape in his mind. He quickly said goodbye and left Gareth with more questions.

Merlin met Sir Gwaine in the armory with Sir Leon, Sir Elyan and Sir Percival. He bowed quickly and, addressing Gwaine, said, "Gwaine, you know that Gareth is still in the dungeon recovering from his head injury. I do not believe Arthur will be punished severely, but a proper punishment is certainly in order. Since he tried to kill you, perhaps some redress in your service would be in order. If the boy appeals to you, perhaps you could suggest to Arthur that he must undertake to be your squire for a year. It would keep the boy out of other trouble and teach him something useful. Though I'm not sure that in your presence he won't get into more trouble than he deserves. Merlin looked at the faces of the knights with a grin.  
Gwaine was taken by surprise and that really doesn't happen often. Him and a squire? Actually, he preferred to be independent and mind his own business, but somehow he cared about the boy. Maybe it was because he reminded him a bit of himself, and maybe it was to make sure the punishment wasn't harsher.  
Sir Percival gurgled and asked, "How can a little boy be dangerous to you?"  
Merlin opened his eyes in alarm. He hadn't thought of that.  
Gwaine came up to him with an answer: "That boy's pretty good with  
with a crossbow. Merlin is right that the boy definitely needs to learn about honour and decency, but I would not underestimate him."  
Sir Elyan remained silent and watched the scene with great interest  
Sir Leon, on the other hand, made an unbelieving face and then asked, teasingly, "You must be in love to speak of him like that. He can't be that good if you haven't even got a wound."  
Gwaine then looked at Merlin with a pleading look. He started sweating and didn't know what to do. After all, Sir Leon had been a knight for a long time, trained under the rule of Uther. Merlin didn't know what his relationship was to magic. But he trusted Gwaine, and when he saw fit...  
"Yeah, well, the arrow would've hit Gwaine pretty good, but I... well, I deflected the arrow."  
Sir Leon suddenly looked at him with full attention and asked poignantly, "How can you deflect a dart?"  
Merlin stared down and whispered, "With magic."  
Sir Leon immediately grabbed his sword and was about to call the guards when Gwaine stood between him and Merlin and said, "What do you think you're doing?  
Sir Leon glared at Sir Gwaine angrily and replied, "I wonder what you are doing. Magic is against the law and Merlin has just admitted to using magic. Maybe he's clouding your judgement, but I can't have that. Unlike you, I am loyal to the King! So get out of my way!"  
Sir Percival saw that the situation was about to get ugly, so he stood between the two knights, put one hand on their shoulders and said, "Put up your swords. Sit down, and sit far enough apart. Merlin, please stay here and let's talk about this for a moment."  
Sir Leon complied with the request, but could not avoid saying, "Sorcerers are not to be trusted."  
Sir Percival looked at him for a while and then asked with honest interest: "You know that the druids who saved your life are also sorcerers, right?"  
"I... well...", Sir Leon just came out and sat on the bench like a wet sack.  
Even Gwaine had calmed down and could understand Merlin a little better why he had kept his magic a secret for so long. He already felt guilty that he had pushed Merlin into it. So it was all the more important to him now that the three knights understood that Merlin was no enemy.  
"Arthur has known about this since yesterday," whispered Merlin in a low voice.  
Sir Percival and Sir Leon looked at Merlin, who shrugged his shoulders.  
"And what about Gwen? Does my sister know too?" Sir Elyan just wanted to know.  
Merlin merely nodded.  
Sir Percival asked anxiously, "What will happen to you?"  
Merlin shook his head when he replied, "I don't know. I don't think Arthur himself knows either. "I'm sorry I lied to you, but the hatred and fear of sorcerers is too deep-seated in many, so it was safer not to say anything."  
Merlin looked at Sir Leon as he said his final words. He suddenly felt uneasy at the sight of the servant. Had he really wronged him? The experience with the druids had shaken his attitude towards sorcerers. He still did not know why the druids had cured him. He was a knight of Camelot and the law demanded the death penalty for sorcery. He could no longer count how many sorcerers he had killed single-handedly. He hadn't had a chance to ask the druids why they had saved him, but maybe Merlin knew the answer. Without thinking about the fact that not only Merlin was in the armory, he asked his question: "Why did the druids save me when I am their enemy?"  
Merlin looked into the knight's questioning eyes in astonishment and said in a firm voice, "Because Druids are dedicated to healing. They are peaceful people who live in harmony with nature. If you can save a life, they save it. They do not presume to decide on life and death."  
"And why is Arthur still alive? You were by his side all these years and yet he lives!? You don't have much magic, do you?" asked the knight with an incomprehension in his voice.  
Merlin suddenly laughed and the knights looked at him in wonder. "I didn't mean to laugh at you, but your question is based on the assumption that I don't have much magic. I do not wish to frighten you or seem arrogant, but I am a powerful sorcerer. Arthur is alive because  
but because I did everything I could to make sure he would survive, even if it meant using magic."  
"You're really powerful? That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think? You're mighty clumsy and a big pain in the ass, but now you're trying to fool us," Gwaine said.  
Merlin shrugged his shoulders again. "It doesn't matter whether you believe me, that I'm powerful or not. What matters is that you understand I would never harm Arthur, I'd rather die first. Only he and Gwen know about my magic. Since Arthur does not yet know how to deal with this situation, it would be better if you did not tell anyone else. It puts not only me, but Arthur as well."  
"Why?" Percival asked.  
"How do you think I have managed to thwart Morgana's plans time and again? She doesn't know I can do magic, and that's a good thing. I don't even want to know what kind of plan she would make if she knew."  
The knights were a little offended. It was their job to protect the King and now Merlin came along and said he'd always thwarted Morgana's plans, thus protecting Arthur. That took a lot of swallowing.  
"I didn't mean to upset you, and in fact I just wanted to ask Gwaine to make Gareth his squire. Anyway, it's getting late and I think the council meeting's about to start. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have, if you want answers. Even if you can hardly trust me as a sorcerer, trust me as your friend Merlin, as I still am." With these words, Merlin said goodbye to the knights, as he could no longer stand the piercing and questioning looks  
He went to the throne room and was curious if he was allowed to attend the meeting at all and which topics were probably discussed today.  
The knights looked after Merlin. "You didn't know Merlin was a sorcerer until yesterday, did you?" Sir Elyan Gwaine asked.  
"Yes, I could not quite believe that we emerged from the raid completely unscathed. Merlin behaved differently. He was even more inattentive than usual after the attack. Actually, I was just joking about thanking him for saving my life. At first I couldn't believe that Merlin was a sorcerer either, but his behaviour during the raid radiated such great power that I had to believe it already. Besides, who else could have fired the second arrow that saved my life again? Knowing Merlin, and knowing his absolute loyalty to Arthur, I don't mind that he can cast spells. In fact, I think it's really good to have a sorcerer on our side because our opponents are often sorcerers."  
"Or restless spirits," Sir Elyan could not help himself.  
There was an awkward silence in the room. The knights all remembered the druid shrine, Merlin's warning and the near fatal consequences. Sir Elyan, in particular, could not get it out of his head that Merlin was a sorcerer. Had Merlin saved him then? or had he watched him fail so idly? His recollection of his actions was vague, but it was enough to torment him with guilt and shame. He had avoided discussing the matter with Gwen, let alone Arthur. But his decision was finally made: he would summon up the courage to ask Merlin about the incident so that he could finally put it behind him - after the council meeting, he promised himself. This promised to be interesting.

)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think:)


	14. What we cant change about us

Arthur had once again failed to locate Merlin. so he made his frustrated way to the throne room. He was very early and surprised he wasn't the first one there. There he saw his servant preparing drinks for the session. "Merlin, I've been looking for you," Arthur began. He could not help but notice the startled look on his face, which was replaced by sadness.  
Merlin bowed, greeted Arthur respectfully and said, "I'm almost done with the preparations, then I'll leave the room immediately."  
Arthur asked Merlin, "Why do you want to leave the room? Does Gaius need your help?"  
"I thought that..." Merlin fell silent.  
"Yeah?" Arthur asked with a raised, furrowed brow.  
"I thought I might not be wanted at the council meeting," he finished his sentence.  
Arthur could have kicked himself in the ass. He urgently needed to have a clarifying conversation with Merlin, but the session was about to start, so a few sentences had to suffice now. "I'm sorry, Merlin, I haven't had a chance to talk to you yet. I would like you to take part in the session as my servant as always. Furthermore, I do not yet know how we will solve the known problem, but I do know what will definitely not happen. In no case will I condemn you to death in any way, even if the law says so. I have finally understood that the law is not fair. Before I take any steps, I must know what the Council thinks. You wouldn't happen to be able to work some magic to get the council members to tell me the truth, would you?" Arthur asked jokingly.  
Merlin thought he wasn't hearing properly. The irony must have escaped him as he replied outraged, "That wouldn't be right. That would be dishonorable and I don't think you really want to hear the unfiltered truth either, since it might be not only disrespectful but also hurtful and I don't want to be responsible for half of your knights ending up in jail.  
"You mean my knights think so ill of me!" Arthur said outraged.  
"No, I think you are a very good and righteous king, and yet in my thoughts I insult you or make fun of your inability to get out of bed in the morning myself," Merlin replied with a grin. With a more serious expression on his face he added: "Thank you for not trying to kill me.  
"Why should I? I have too often risked my own life to keep you alive, where else would there be logic?" the King replied with a grin and Merlin grinned back.  
The two were interrupted by the entry of several knights.

Slowly the throne room filled up. Merlin took his place directly behind Arthur and the knights gathered around the round table. Gwen was the last to enter the hall with an apologetic smile and the King took the floor: "Knights of Camelot, my friends, I am glad you all arrived on time. Are there any pressing matters we need to discuss today that cannot be delayed?" Arthur looked around the room and waited to see if any knight had spoken. When it was silent, he continued: "There are some small matters that need to be clarified and an important question that I would like to discuss with you. Let us start with the smaller matters first. As some of you know, Sir Gwaine was attacked by bandits yesterday."  
Merlin's words made him tense.  
"A boy was involved who was forced to join the attack. The death penalty is not commensurate with his crime, so we need a suitable punishment. Does anyone have a suggestion that makes sense?"  
At once, Sir Gwaine stood up and addressed the King, "May I make a suggestion, my King?" As he nodded, Gwaine said, "The boy's attack was aimed at me, so I think it only right and proper that the boy be given a punishment that will benefit me. The boy has made a mistake and he definitely has a lot to learn about honour, justice and courage. I therefore propose that he must commit himself to being my squire for a year and thus work off his debt." He looked at Merlin with a smile and went on to Arthur. "If I am satisfied with his work, and it is his will, he will continue to be trained as a squire after the year is out."  
Everyone looked at the knight in surprise. They knew Sir Gwaine had always turned down a squire and were surprised at the suggestion.  
"Phew, you could almost feel sorry for the boy if he was the squire of Sir Gwaine. Whether the punishment is not too high for his crime after all?", Sir Elyan asked teasingly.  
Everyone in the hall began to laugh and agreed with the statement.  
Arthur looked proudly at Sir Gwaine and said, "If no one has any objection, then I will gladly accept Sir Gwaine's suggestion. The King waited a few moments before continuing: "I officially pronounce my sentence: The boy Gareth will serve as squire to Sir Gwaine for a year to atone for his deeds. "Should either of you wish to continue your training after this year has ended..."  
The knights knocked on the table in agreement. So, for a while, minor matters were settled and time passed.

After two hours had already passed, Arthur took the floor again. "Now I have a question that has been troubling me for some time. I always try to be a just and good king, who wishes above all peace and prosperity for his people. We have been attacked by sorcerers in the past and I would like to hear your opinion on sorcery. What do you think about sorcery? I ask you to be honest. If you agree with even part of it, I want to hear it. I promise you as king that you will not fear punishment."  
Most of the knights looked surprised at the opening, only Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Elyan and Sir Leon were not surprised.  
Sir Gwaine spoke up immediately, knowing how much the first word could influence the discussion. Arthur nodded at Sir Gwaine in relief and he said, "As King Arthur has already mentioned, we have already suffered much pain, death and loss from sorcery.  
The knights agreed with him.

"However, I could say the same for swords, daggers and arrows."  
This puzzled many knights, some of whom realised what Sir Gwaine was getting at.  
"And yet, I have seen sorcerers heal wounds and do good deeds. I believe the law is right about wizards who wish to harm Camelot, but unjust to those who possess magic but either do not use it or use it to help others. The knight had said all he wanted and sat down again.  
There was a murmur from the others who exchanged words. Some shook their heads furiously, others agreed with the knight's words.  
Sir Fewon stood up jerkily and thundered: "Magic is forbidden thanks to King Uther and is outlawed with the death sentence, since magic corrupts man. It is to be eradicated and he would turn in his grave if he heard such speeches. We have survived every threat without the evil influence of magic and we will continue to do so!"  
Sir Leon suddenly stood up and asked Sir Fewon directly: "What makes you so sure that we have always managed without magic? Just because you didn't see magic doesn't mean it wasn't there. Suppose we were helped by magic, who would have been so tired of life and confessed to this crime?"  
Sir Fewon glared at Sir Leon, but could not answer the question.

Arthur looked Merlin in the eye for a moment and Merlin looked back apologetically.  
Sir Percival stood up and waited until it was quiet: "Is it really surprising that magicians keep attacking us? After all, every wizard has been executed in Camelot for decades. Many families are on the run and hiding, some are likely to be torn apart and don't know how their loved ones are doing, whether they are even alive. It has always been the case that only hatred and violence can be harvested when hatred and violence are sown. I have seen so many cruel acts of sorcerers, but the slaughter of innocent children who may possess magic is at least as cruel." With these words, Sir Percival sat down.  
There was silence in the throne room, and a very tense silence, for many knights had carried out Uther's orders without question, killing sorcerers and druids respectively. Some wanted to forget how young some of them were.  
Arthur broke the silence: "Thank you for your honest words. "I know that many of you fear magic and rightly so. Too often we have suffered from it, but especially the words of Sir Percival awaken in me a desire to protect my people. I will not be held responsible for Camelot becoming a target for sorcerers. I have never considered that perhaps in other lands where sorcery is permitted, the number of sorcerer's attacks are less ...could turn out. Thank you for your time. I think everyone should have the time to think about what you said. We'll meet again tomorrow at the same time, and I want to hear your honest opinion on this matter." With a nod, the King dismissed his knights.

Gwen put her hand on Arthur's shoulder and whispered softly, "I'm proud of you, Arthur!"  
He looked at her in amazement. "But I haven't done anything," he said.  
"Oh, but you did. You got your knights to speak without fear of you, even though you might not share their opinions, and above all you really listened. You do not rush into a decision because you are sure in your behaviour. You give the knights time to think about the wizards in peace and give them the opportunity to audition again. How can I not be proud of you?!"  
"Oh, Gwen, what would I do without you by my side," sighed Arthur gratefully.  
Gwen whispered in his ear, "And you know who has done everything to bring us together?"  
Just as softly, he whispered back, winking, "No, but I'm going to find out."  
Merlin watched the royal couple during this time and was so happy that they had found each other again. Arthur became an even better king through Gwen, and Gwen was wise and just. Merlin could not have imagined a better ruler.  
"Merlin, I don't think you've mucked out the stables yet."  
Merlin frowned at Arthur's memory. He didn't like the idea of mucking out the stables.  
"Before you do that, you can tell Gareth of my sentence and give the guards this document certifying that Gareth is allowed to leave the dungeons. "He shall give you a hand with the cleaning."

Then Merlin's face lit up again. It was much quicker to clean out the stable with the two of you and so he could answer many questions to Gareth. "With pleasure, Your Majesty," he said half-mockingly, and with the document in his hand he set off for the dungeons again.

Gwen also said goodbye to Arthur, as she hadn't completed all the papers yesterday. The King noticed that the throne room had not yet emptied completely. He saw that Sir Elyan was determined to follow Merlin. The knights Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine and Sir Percival deliberately delayed leaving the room.  
Arthur had expected that these three knights would still seek a personal conversation with him, since Sir Percival and Sir Leon seemed to know about Merlin's secret, and addressed them as a result: "Sir Leon, Sir Percival and Sir Gwaine! Is there anything else?"  
Sir Leon said, "Yes, my King. We would like permission to speak to you in confidence."  
"Sir Leon, of course I give you permission. If it's something personal, then it might be better to close the doors again," Arthur said, addressing the guards: "Guards, close the doors and do not let any visitors enter unannounced.  
They bowed and closed the doors from the outside. Sir Leon looked for words: "My King, I...I want to make sure, for one thing, that I am not acting against your orders and Merlin...he told you, he told me..." The King gave Sir Leon a hand gesture telling him to stop.  
"Sir Leon, if you are insinuating that I know Merlin's secret, then that is the case."  
Sir Leon and Sir Percvial looked relieved at first, then Sir Leon's face darkened. "So it's true?" he asked.

"Yes. I can well understand your skepticism. I was no different at first. Merlin told me he had magic and my doubts only disappeared when I saw him practising magic myself," Arthur replied.  
Sir Percival asked, stunned, "He performed magic before your eyes?"  
Arthur replied guiltily: "Indirectly. My wife had the great idea of asking Merlin if he could conjure something beautiful. I overheard this demonstration of magic by chance. And he stopped a goblet from falling on the floor this morning so as not to wake us."  
Arthur shook his head at the memory. The other knights didn't quite know what to say to it.  
Sir Gwaine asked cautiously, "So you will not sentence Merlin to death?"

The king looked at his knight in horror. "No! What makes you think that?"  
Gwaine cleared his throat and said the obvious: "Well, since Merlin is definitely a sorcerer and this is a crime punishable by death.  
"I..." Arthur sighed, sat down and pulled his hair up. "Damn it, I know. I have long believed that this law, while hard, is absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of Camelot. But now? How am I to protect Camelot from sorcery when my personal servant has been practising magic under my nose for years without my knowledge? Besides, more importantly, is the law even fair? The law is based on the assumption that magic will eventually corrupt everyone. And now look at Merlin. I just can't imagine Merlin being corrupted. Temper, yes, a wretched servant, definitely, but wicked? Absolutely not. But what will happen if I change the law? People are terrified of sorcerers.  
Sir Percival took advantage of the silence that came in and said, "My king, I think people are less afraid of sorcerers and more afraid of being seen with a sorcerer or accidentally harbouring one."

"You mean the people are not afraid of sorcery?" Arthur asked.  
Sir Percival replied: "Of course, people are afraid of things they cannot explain, but if they secretly visit a druid because their child is seriously ill and the druid can heal the child, this changes the personal attitude seriously. Furthermore, people see that you don't need magic to be cruel."  
As Sir Leon did not comment, Arthur asked, "Sir Leon, you are relatively silent. "How did you find out about Merlin's magic, and what do you think?"  
He replied, "I just found out before the council meeting in the armory. Merlin had been looking for Sir Gwaine and wanted to have a word with him. We got to talk about the bandit raid and Sir Gwaine more or less forced Merlin to tell us his secret. i'm ashamed to say that i drew my sword as a first impulse and wanted to alert the guards, but sir percival made me see reason."  
Since all those present didn't know what to say in reply, Sir Gwaine said, "I'd like to talk to you in private too."  
Arthur nodded at the other two knights and they left. "Sir Gwaine, watch your reputations, if you carry on like this..."  
"Don't worry, I won't make it a habit if you do everything right in the future," said the knight with reproach in his voice.  
The tone of voice irritated Arthur. He knew Gwaine's tendency to tease others, but this tone was new to him.  
"What do you want to tell me? Address the problem directly," Arthur said almost commandingly.  
"Does the name Freya mean anything to you?" Gwaine asked, never letting the king out of his sight.  
The king frowned and repeated the name: "Freya? The name means nothing to me. Why?"  
"Merlin never mentioned this name in your presence?"

"Not that I can remember," Arthur said. He didn't know what Sir Gwaine was getting at, but he didn't like it.  
"I know I don't have the right to tell you this, but it's important to me that Merlin is all right. Whatever decision you make about magic or Merlin, I advise you not to cause Merlin any more pain," Gwaine said with absolute earnest, trying to avoid any hint of threat.  
"You threaten me? What are you talking about?" Arthur said angrily.  
"I would never threaten you," Gwaine made clear. "To answer your question, Freya is the woman Merlin loves," he said softly.  
Arthur opened his eyes in surprise. He had not expected this at all. But this was good news. Arthur would expect Sir Gwaine to tease Merlin and make jokes. He still didn't understand what the knight was getting at.  
"She's dead," Gwaine said gloomily.  
"When? "When? How? "Who?" Arthur asked quietly, refusing to imagine Merlin's pain.  
Gwaine stared into Arthur's eyes and said succinctly, "Several months ago, you mortally wounded her with your sword."  
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "No, it can't be. i didn't kill a woman with my sword a few months ago," arthur said in annoyance.  
"She was cursed by a witch so that she always turned into a winged black beast at midnight," Gwaine just explained. He saw in the face of Arthur, that he remembered, and that he rubbed his forehead in disbelief.

Arthur turned chalky and horror spoke from his voice: "Do not say this beast was the woman Merlin loved."  
"No", Gwaine began, and saw relief rising in Arthur's heart.  
"Merlin loves her even after death," said Gwaine, destroying Arthur's last hope.  
"I killed the woman who loves Merlin above all else?"  
Gwaine nodded silently.  
"Why doesn't he do the same to me? Why did he do everything possible to make sure that I could be with the love of my life, even though it is my fault that he is unhappy? How can he...?" Arthur fell silent, unable to put into words his pain and disbelief.  
"Merlin would have every reason to hate you, and wish you dead. For years, you have killed men of his kind in your father's name, and now as King you will not amend this injustice. You have continued to kill the only woman Merlin loves, and yet he will not leave your side and protect you, even if it means he may be burned at the stake in gratitude. He advises you again and again and does not try to deny that you trust his advice, and yet he receives neither recognition nor thanks. "I can guess why Merlin does this and what he sees in you, but..." Gwaine broke off. As the silence stretched further and further, he bowed and left the room.  
Arthur just couldn't understand. He didn't understand Merlin. If anyone harmed a hair on Gwen's head, he would... He really needed to talk to Merlin, really talk. Arthur decided two things at that moment: firstly, he would do his best to create a just law regarding magic and he would listen to Merlin and nag her with questions until he knew and understood Merlin. He regretted that he had not taken the trouble to get to know him better.

I´m so sorry for not updating in the last 10 days, but I was working so much so that I hadn´t really had the time for writing on this story. For the next weeks I will not update because I´m going on vacation and sure I will have some Wifi and internet, but not much time to spend for writing, so I´m sorry for this too. But I will come back to this when I´m back home. Maybe I will upload another chapter, or more chapters until Wednesday, before I´m off for three weeks.


	15. Eluned

Gareth was surprised to see Merlin again today. He didn't think his bandage needed changing until the next day, but perhaps Merlin already had a message from his mother to deliver.  
"Hello, Merlin! To what do I owe the honor?", Gareth asked cautiously.  
Merlin grinned, gave the document to the guards. They broke the seal and agreed that the document was genuine. A guard took the key, unlocked the cell door and opened it wide.  
Gareth made big eyes. "What does this mean? Has the king already decided what is to be done with me?"  
Merlin smiled even wider and cried out, "Yes!"  
"Now tell me, what punishment do I have to fear?" Gareth asked nervously. He didn't know if he really wanted to hear what consequence awaited him.  
"You are free. Well, as free as a squire can be."  
"Squire?", Gareth asked even more confused.  
"Yes. You are now Sir Gwaine's squire for a year. This is your punishment, and believe me, Sir Gwaine is one of my friends, but this task will not always be easy. However, it will comfort you to know that it was Sir Gwaine himself who made this proposal to the King. so the knight cares about the success of his proposal, and that's definitely to your advantage. By the way, the King asked you to come with me to muck out the stables. If you can't do that, don't worry, it's easy to learn, and I'll have plenty of time to answer your questions. Let's go! Moving and washing is definitely more useful when we have finished mucking out," Merlin finished his lecture.  
Gareth was petrified. He couldn't believe what Merlin had just told him. He had thought up the worst and most painful punishments, but now he even had a year's worth of work and he would learn something useful. He beamed all over his face. "There is no way I will disappoint Sir Gwaine. Thank you, Merlin, I assume you had a hand in this?" he asked confidently.  
"Me? What makes you think so?", Merlin asked with feigned indignation.

Eluned finally saw the castle of Camelot. She knew her son had got himself in trouble again. How could it be otherwise? But she feared that this time it would not end as smoothly as the previous one. She was really worried. Her son was in jail and that was never a good sign. She was hoping there was still something she could do to prevent the worst. Although she knew that King Arthur was just and fair, she didn't know exactly why Gareth was in prison. You knew her son. He was a good boy, sometimes a little impetuous, but he was not evil at all. She was amazed at how big this place was. Now she regretted having refused the knight's offer to accompany her. But she had so much to do first, that she didn't want to waste the knight's time unnecessarily. Had she travelled with him, he could have accompanied her to the dungeons immediately. She didn't know where her son was or if she was even allowed to see him.  
She strode resolutely towards the guards at the castle entrance and asked cautiously: "Good evening, my name is Eluned. A knight was with me yesterday and informed me that my son Gareth would be in the dungeon. Could you show me the way there?"  
The guards looked at each other in bewilderment. It wasn't often that something happened on their guard duty, so they actually didn't quite know how to react to such a question.  
Sir Percival took the decision away from them. He saw the woman, who obviously had a concern, and was curious. He bowed and said, "Excuse me, my lady, my name is Sir Percival and as you can see I am a knight of Camelot. Perhaps I can be of assistance. I couldn't help overhearing your question. I'm sorry, milady, but your son is no longer in the dungeons."  
It was at that very moment that Eluned turned white. She was too late. Why didn't she drop everything and run after her son?  
When Sir Percival saw the woman's reaction, he hurried to say, "Forgive me, your son is well. I should have chosen my words more carefully."  
"He is well?" she repeated hopefully.  
"Yes, but of course. King Arthur rarely inflicts severe punishment, and only in cases where the alternatives would pose a grave threat to Camelot. I can take you to your son. He's just...

He was busy mucking out the stables with the king's servant," he explained with a grin.  
"I accept this offer only too gladly. But what has Gareth actually done? Why is he no longer in the dungeon? Why is he mucking out stables now?" the questions gushed out of Eluned.  
Percival could understand the woman's concern and answered patiently: "Follow me, I can answer your questions on the way there." He headed for the stables and made sure the woman followed him. "It seems that your son had the misfortune to be forced by bandits to join a raid."  
Gareth's mother, horrified, sucked in the air. ...and began to rant and rave, "That little rascal. He's not even fifteen and he's probably been back to the tavern. I've told him so many times not to go there under any circumstances. Oh, oh, I'm going to pull the boy's ears so long that afterwards he can only walk around with his hands on his ears, because they are so much ..." She interrupted herself and she realized that the knight could hardly suppress his laughter.  
"Excuse me, you'll soon understand why I'm laughing." The knight briefly outlined the incident that led to her son's imprisonment. He concluded his report with the following words: "Well, and your son, as a squire, will have the task of ensuring that the man attacked by your son does not go to the tavern too often and always arrives at his service punctually and soberly. As fate would have it, this knight is quite fond of going to the tavern, which is one of the reasons why he has always refused a squire.  
Eluned thought over the knight's words and smiled as well. "Yes, your laughter was absolutely justified. I could not have thought of a better and more sensible punishment for the boy. If I may, I would like to meet the servant and the knight, as both saved my son's life and I would like to thank them."  
Sir Percival nodded, "That shouldn't be a problem. Merlin should be with your son right now, and the knight in question can be found in the tavern," he said jokingly.  
The mother frowned.  
"He is not a drunkard. He has his heart in the right place, is absolutely loyal and also has a knack for getting himself into trouble. The two of them will get along fine," he reassured her.  
She smiled gratefully.

Merlin and Gareth had just finished mucking out the stables. With Gareth's help, he had finished a little faster, but with all the questions Gareth had asked, it had taken them over two hours.  
Merlin just saw Sir Percvial, accompanied by a strange woman, coming towards them when Gareth cried out joyfully and ran towards the woman: "Mother! What are you doing here?", the boy asked as he ran and gave his mother a stormy hug.  
She smiled and turned her son off: "I will be able to see my son if he is so stupid. She repaired her nose. "And he stinks like a big dunghill!"  
They all started laughing and Gareth said "But Merlin's stinks just as bad!"  
Eluned recognised the name and looked at the man standing next to her son. So this was the servant who had saved her child's life simply because he had refused to let a boy die. She was grateful in any case, but she was also curious. How could it be that a wish of this servant led to a respected knight fulfilling this request? Even though this servant was the king's personal servant, this was highly unusual. She didn't know much about Camelot and the customs of the castle, but knights in general were held in high esteem, and servants were not. "You're the servant who saved my son's life," she said forcefully.  
Merlin blushed and stammered, "Well... that was actually...  
Gareth said, "Yes, Mother, he did. "Not only did he tend to my head wound, but he suggested to the Knight that I could be his squire!"  
Again Eluned wondered about this young man. He gave advice to a knight and the knight followed it. Considering that there was an added irony that the boy who wanted to kill the knight was now responsible for the fact that nothing happened to the knight.  
"Where are my manners? In all the hubbub, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Eluned, and as you can imagine, I am the mother of Gareth. I want to thank you. Once for not letting my son die, and once again for...

you've found him meaningful employment with the Knight, which I hope will prevent Gareth from making any further mistakes."  
Merlin blushed a little again, but he was pleased with the heartfelt thanks. "I would always make the same decision, milady," Merlin said with a bow.  
Eluned began to laugh girlishly and said: "Oh, how long has it been since a young man addressed me like this? I never thought I'd like it here."  
Merlin grinned back and said to Gareth: "Maybe we should wash up and put on some new clothes. I can lend you some of mine. Then we can take care of your own clothes for you. Since I assume that you", Merlin looked at Eluned, "do not have a place to stay yet, I could ask if you could sleep in Gwen's old home.  
Sir Percival frowned at these words, as it was unusual to invite a 'stranger' into the queen's former home, but nodded from an inexplicable feeling.  
"Oh, I really don't want to be any trouble. Perhaps your friend will need the bed herself."  
Merlin and Sir Percival could not help but chuckle, and the knight graciously replied, "Rest assured that the queen Guinevere prefers to spend the night in the castle."  
"Oh, you don't mean... I couldn't possibly accept that!"  
"Why not? If the queen doesn't object? The bed is empty and you need a place to sleep. Problem solved,' said Merlin.  
Sir Percival interfered: "I was about to go back to the castle anyway, then I can ask the queen for permission. You can follow Merlin and your son to make sure they're all right." The knight took his leave and Merlin, Gareth and Eluned made their way to Merlin's chambers.

____________________________  
Sorry for letting you wait so long for a new chapter, but I was busy with working for my job and setting up my website and youtube channel. My youtube channel is Lele Neffexnation, I record all my book (in german and englisch) and publish them there so you can read them or listening to them. Also remember that I´m also writing this book on fanfiction.net under the username Leledezember.  
Oh and for all the ones who dont know what they should watch on netflix and amazon prime, check out Julie and the phantoms on netflix, and both seasons of the boys on prime. They´re so good!  
Thanks for all the comments and kudos in the last time. You´re making me happy!  
See you soon:)


	16. Set off

Merlin stumbled into Gaius' rooms and greeted the old man with: "Hello Gaius, this is Gareth and his mother Eluned. We should wash up first and change into something different."  
Gaius replied, "That's a good idea, Merlin. You are welcome! You must be thirsty, sit down and have a sip of water. I just have to finish this potion, otherwise I have to start all over again. In a moment we can talk about our protégés and exchange ideas about the nonsense they've been up to now.  
After Merlin and Gareth had washed and put on fresh clothes, they went back to the adults to eat and drink a little something. Meanwhile Sir Percival was also present. He told Eluned that she was welcome to sleep in Gwen's old home.  
It did not take more than 10 minutes when a "MERLIN!" could already be heard from a distance.  
Merlin looked at Gaius smiling and he just raised an eyebrow in response.  
When a loud "MERLIN!" was heard a second time, Gauis said, "Don't you think you should slowly go to the King?  
"I must use the short time to strengthen myself. I'll certainly still need my strength," Merlin replied unconcernedly.  
The king pushed the door open and began his triad: "Merlin! What do you think you are doing here? I'm not paying you to sit around. It couldn't have taken you that long to clean out the stables, if you still had help. I've been waiting for hours. You'd think even being king would get a more industrious servant than you." When he noticed that a strange woman and Gareth were also in the room, he broke off. He had thought back and forth for so long about how he should talk to Merlin that he had been pacing back and forth in his chamber all the time. Actually he should have been doing paperwork, but he couldn't concentrate on that and if he was honest, Merlin was usually at his side, commenting on his work. These conversations made Arthur question many things or be even more confident in his decision. If not even Merlin found meaningful arguments against his actions, then it was the right thing to do. By the time an hour had passed, he still hadn't seen a trace of Merlin and lost his temper. His patience was at an end and he fell back into old habits and insulted Merlin as a lazy servant, even though he now had an idea of how wrong it was.  
The people in the room bowed and Merlin said, "I am sorry, Sire. Had I known that you wouldn't last two hours without me, I would have let Gareth clean out the stables alone and rushed to you immediately. Merlin looked so serious in his statement that Arthur almost believed him.  
"Merlin," Arthur admonished him.  
Thereupon Eluned cleared his throat and the king looked at her.  
"My king, I thank you not only for offering me shelter, but also for saving my son's life."  
The king looked at Gareth's mother and said: "The punishments should be appropriate to your behavior and age. Your son is still young and should be given a second chance to learn what is right and what is wrong." He turned to Gareth. "And I advise you to use this second chance as well. Do not disappoint the trust your knight has placed in you. I don't know how it is that he agrees to be a squire now after all, but I think this suggestion makes sense."  
To Merlin, he just said, "Come on, Merlin."  
He waved briefly, said goodbye and followed Arthur. "How can I help you, King Arthur," he said, ridiculing his title so ridiculously that Arthur, without thinking, turned around and gave Merlin a slight blow to the back of the head.  
Merlin looked at him in shock at first, then he rubbed the spot with a grin. "This is the first time in two days that you have behaved as usual. Considering that 'what-ever' means hitting the back of the head of your so faithful servant, one might already be wondering about your character.  
"Merlin!"  
"Yes?" Merlin asked.  
"Shut up and follow me already."

When they arrived in Arthur's study, Arthur sighed, since he didn't really feel up to having this conversation after all, but it had been almost two days and he wouldn't consider himself

Coward. He had decided not to speak to Merlin about Freya. Merlin should decide for himself when or if he wanted to talk to Arthur about it. "I was just so impatient because this conversation is more than overdue. I know that I could have had it much sooner, but first I had to digest the information that you are a magician!  
"And you're sure I really am one?" Merlin asked to ease the situation.  
"Yes, I saw you this morning when you stopped a goblet from falling to the ground just to keep us from waking up. Do you often use your magic for such... such...", the king looked for words, "banalities?  
"You wouldn't say that if you knew how inedible you are when you wake from sleep," Merlin defended himself.  
"Once again you have not answered my question," Arthur said, slightly annoyed. "Do you do magic often?"  
Merlin's guilty conscience was written all over his face. He nodded.  
Arthur shook his head. "Then how could I not see it?"  
Merlin wondered whether he should give a cheeky answer to that again, but decided for the truth. "I don't believe you wanted to see it. I have performed magic so often in your company and you have always been satisfied with a more or less good excuse.  
"But Merlin, why? Why do you stay here in Camelot when it could mean the death penalty? Why are you a servant - my servant - and well, serve someone else when you have magic, when you are powerful? Why are you saving my life? You saved my life more than once, didn't you? How many times have you saved my life," Arthur suddenly asked alarmed.  
Merlin looked contrite and said, "I'm sorry, Arthur, but I've lost track of it.  
Arthur stared at Merlin. "Okay," he just said.  
"Okay?", Merlin asked uncertainly.  
"I'm asking you to tell me when you saved my life and in advance I want to thank you for it," Arthur said.  
Merlin was now completely confused. "You volunteered to listen to me and you thanked me without immediately withdrawing that thanks. You must be either mortally ill or enchanted."  
"I am neither one or the other, Merlin. I do not understand you, but I want to understand why you do the things you do. So whatever answers you want to give me, I'm ready," Arthur finally said. He felt anything but ready, but Merlin did not need to know that.  
Merlin nodded, thought for a moment and began: "For the first time I saved your life without your knowing it, when you fought Sir Valiant years ago.  
This name seemed familiar to Arthur, but he could not place it yet.  
"His previous opponent had died of a snake bite, although the knight should have only had battle wounds. I saw that his shield was enchanted, and all night long I tried to bring a dog's stature to life so I could show everyone that Sir Valiant was cheating. Only in the morning did I succeed in casting the spell and I was able to prevent you from being bitten by the snakes unprepared".  
"I remember that the knight was very irritated and angry about the snakes showing up at that moment," said Arthur.  
Merlin nodded. "Another time I used magic to save you was against the afanc."  
Arthur remembered this very well. It had been terrible for him to see his people die. Then he remembered something: "You fell into the throne room because Gwen was called a witch, since her sick father had recovered by magic."  
"What was I to do? Gwen's father would have died and I could help him. Gwen became a very good and valued friend very quickly after my arrival in Camelot. I had to save Gwen somehow. In my desperation, I told the truth. I was the wizard who had healed Gwen's father and not Gwen, but no one wanted to believe me. This saved my life, but..."  
"Even at that time, you were already protecting Gwen, although I hadn't even really noticed her," Arthur said sadly.  
Everyone hung on to his thoughts and it was quiet in the room for a while.  
"When we fought the afanc, you used magic to strengthen the fire. Now I also understand how it could be that in such a humid environment such a flame could be created. What more can you tell me?", Arthur asked further.  
"Remember the first time you saved my life?" Merlin replied with a counter-question.

"You mean when you drank the poison that was meant for me?"  
"Well, the poison was actually meant for me. I must have upset Nimueh because I had thwarted her plans for the afanc. However, she hadn't expected the prince to risk his life for a servant. Gaius told me that I had been mumbling words to myself all the time, and that suddenly a small ball of light flashed in my hand," Merlin said.  
"Why did you use magic? Wasn't that very exhausting? Or was it something like a healing ball," Arthur asked.  
Merlin smiled and wondered how relaxed the conversation with Arthur was. "No, it was not a healing spell. The small light was connected to a larger glowing sphere of light that was further away."  
"You sent the light to me?" Arthur asked in astonishment, anyway.  
"Yes. I knew Nimueh would lure you into a trap and I couldn't let you lose your life because of me," Merlin replied.  
"Let me get this straight: You were dying and yet you knew I was trapped and sent a light to show me the way?  
"Yes," Merlin just said. He didn't know what else to say. He gave Arthur more time to think about what he'd said. After a while, Merlin said to Arthur, "Since you already know about the griffin, I could tell you that I did not allow a certain Sophia to drown you in a lake to sacrifice your soul.  
"What?!", Arthur asked in horror.  
"Remember when Morgana warned you years ago that she'd had bad dreams? She saw you drowned without a will and watched as a blond woman watched. That scene really happened. I came just in time to save you from drowning. Sophia and her father were not human, but Sidhe and Sophia wanted to buy a life in mortality with your soul. Why she wanted to take your soul for this is a mystery to me," Merlin joked.  
Arthur did not go into it and stated: "You saved my life four times within a few months without my knowing it?  
"Well, actually it was five times, but who counts a magical being like a griffin," replied Merlin.  
"But why? Why do you seem to use your life and magic over and over again to save me," Arthur asked.  
"It is my destiny," began Merlin and was interrupted by Arthur as so often.  
"Yes, yes, you explained that to Gwen, too, and something about two sides of a coin and all that, but that still doesn't make me understand," Arthur admitted.  
"You have been eavesdropping on us," Merlin noted.  
"Yes," the king admitted sheepishly. "I didn't want to let Gwen talk to you alone and wanted to be able to intervene if necessary. Merlin looked hurt, and Arthur felt he had to defend himself: "I only knew you could be a sorcerer and that sorcerers were my enemies all my life. I was just afraid for Gwen. I didn't want to take any chances."  
"I understand that. I would have done the same in your place," he said, and Arthur could see the hidden sadness behind the words, but said nothing. "I believe that one day you will become a great king who will allow magic to work again, unite Albion, and that your people will live in peace and prosperity," Merlin Arthur's previous question was answered.  
"Allow magic and reunite Albion," Arthur repeated tonelessly. "How I would love to give peace and prosperity to my people, but what you say, I will never be able to create," he said, full of self-doubt.  
"You are right," Merlin replied. "The spoiled and arrogant prince I met back then could never have managed it, but the king you will one day become, or perhaps already are, will be able to. You are just, loyal, brave, and your heart is in the right place. I firmly believe in this and in you. Believe me, if you hear your fate from a dragon, it will leave a very big impression," Merlin said with conviction.  
"Can I hear the words of the dragon myself?" Arthur asked cautiously.  
Merlin looked at him in astonishment. "You want to talk to a dragon? You know that it is not just any dragon, but the dragon that attacked us years ago and against which you fought?"  
"I know that, but if I have understood it correctly, firstly it is a friend of yours and secondly it listens to your commands. Am I right in assuming that the dragon won't attack me?" he asked again anyway.  
Merlin thought about it carefully and nodded.  
"Then let's go," Arthur said and already went to the door.  
Merlin paused in the movement and asked, "Now?  
"What shall we wait for? It's dark by now, it's not so risky for us to be seen," said Arthur full of energy and expectation. Besides, he did not know whether his reason would give him something else in daylight.  
Merlin nodded and together they set off.


	17. Set off

Hey my dear readers:)

Thanks for reading and commenting so much on this story:) I´m glad that you like this story, even I dont upload a lot in the last few weeks. I really have to work a lot and I´m also drawing a lot to. So heres a little free offer for you. If you want to chat with me, or have a look at my curent drawing projekts and stuff like that, you can go and check out my instagram its called Neffexstuff. I do start a drawing lesson in the next days, with little help by doing some tutorials on Instagram.

Oh, and im thinking about making a podcast out of this story on youtube. So if you want to play a role as a character like merlin, arthur, gwain etc, let me know:)

"isn't that the same clearing we fought him in?" Said Arthur in disbelief. "Yes, it is big enough for him and it is far enough away, but still close enough that I can reach it quickly. I'll call the dragon in a moment. It sounds unusual to you because it is different from other spells, "warned Merlin. "Merlin, I have no idea about magic. No matter what you do, it will be new to me, "he tried to calm his servant. Merlin didn't quite believe it, as Arthur really hardly knew about sorcery, but at least he had warned him. He couldn't do more. He concentrated and called in a deep and powerful voice: "O drakon, e mal so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" Arthur really hadn't expected THAT. He just stared at Merlin with his mouth open and couldn't utter a word. He winced With his shoulders apologetically and said: "I tried to explain it to you, but I didn't quite succeed. It could be that we have to wait a bit, depending on where Kilgharrah is." After a few minutes it was already closed Realizing that a being was approaching on the horizon. Arthur had suppressed the size of the "great dragon" and had to stifle his instinct to flee with all the willpower he could muster, but he couldn't keep him from sweating profusely. He watched Merlin, who smiled and was delighted to see his friend prepare to land. When the dust settled, Arthur saw the dragon and wizard bow to each other and stand for a very long time ever just stared. It was scary as he didn't know what exactly was happening. "Young magician", the dragon greeted Merlin, "I see you have a lot to report. Young Arthur Pendragon seems to finally know that you are a wizard and I am glad that you did not end up at a stake. To what crisis do I owe it that you called for me? "" There is no greater crisis. Arthur asked to talk to you. I confessed to him yesterday morning that I was a wizard. I didn't know if it wasn't maybe too early or maybe already too late, but I wanted Arthur to find out my secret from me, "Merlin explained. The dragon made a satisfied impression and said: "I am proud of you. You have found the courage, despite your greatest fear, to confide in Arthur. You made the right decision. I fear that new dangers await you and honesty and trust are your strongest protection. "Merlin was used to the dragon always talking in riddles, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. Merlin left it at that. He turned to Arthur and said, "I have just explained the situation to Kilgharrah." With no understanding flashing in Arthur's eyes, Merlin continued, "We have magic and can communicate with each other through thought language." The king looked at the great dragon and didn't know what to say. Since he had previously watched Merlin greet the dragon, Arthur imitated this greeting. The dragon did not show his surprise and greeted the king with the words: "King Arthur Pendragon. I am happy to finally get to know you personally, because that this conversation would take place was only a question of when. I am also pleased that your manners have apparently improved. "The king was amazed. He didn't expect that the dragon's voice would be so pleasant and that it could even speak to him. Not only could one see great knowledge and intelligence in his eyes, but he also had a sense of humor. "Um, I'm working on my manners and I thought it advisable to greet you with respect. But even if Merlin assured me that you were a friend of his, I do not know if you are also a friend of Camelot. You attacked us years ago, causing a lot of pain and death. "Arthur bit his tongue. He hadn't intended to provoke the dragon. However, the latter bowed his head ruefully and said with all sincerity: "My behavior was only guided by revenge, because I assumed that I had nothing else to do. But what would you do if someone hunted and eventually slaughtered everyone you know and love, each one of your kind? If only you were left, cooped up alone in the dark for years and chained up like a wild animal that you are mistaken for. I know my behavior was wrong and is unforgivable but Merlin showed me a mercy that I had not expected. The last Dragonlord spared my life, because he could not bring himself to kill a being with magic like himself. I would help Merlin anytime, not because I have to follow his command, but because he is my friend and he is worthy of my help. To return to your questions: Yes, I am Merlin's friend, and since Merlin is a friend of Camelot, I will not attack Camelot. I will also come to your aid at any time and help you escape."  
Arthur just stared at the dragon. Slowly his words seeped into his consciousness. The dragon had consciously saved their lives only a few weeks before. So it was no coincidence that the dragon had come and stood against Agravaine and Helios people.  
"Merlin had called you so that we had a chance to escape, and you came to our rescue, not to our ruin! Did you kill my uncle?" Arthur then asked carefully.  
"I killed many people that day, but I don't know if your uncle was among them," said the dragon sincerely. At the same time he noticed that Merlin's face was distorted with pain and guilt.  
He addressed Merlin in his thoughts: "Merlin, what troubles you?  
The dragon answered him in thought. "I killed his uncle. Is it wise to tell him," he asked back uncertainly and told the dragon every detail of the situation.  
"As I just mentioned, trust and honesty is the best protection. If he learns it from someone else, it will only sow doubt. Doubts that can end deadly," the dragon replied calmly to the wizard.  
Arthur overheard that the dragon and Merlin were apparently exchanging thoughts again. A strange feeling came over him that he could not interpret. No matter what was to come, he was sure that he did not want to know this, and yet... He had not noticed so much over the years, did not know many details of stories he had experienced, so he had to know. "Whatever it is Merlin, please say it," the king demanded.  
Merlin looked sadly at Arthur and said softly, "I killed your uncle - with magic.  
Arthur had not counted on this. He knew that his uncle had betrayed him and planned his death, but it was still his uncle. And here stood Merlin, confessing that he had killed him with magic.  
"Why did you kill him with magic?" At these words Merlin flinched so violently that even the dragon shook from the connection. Arthur was so fixated on Merlin that he didn't even notice.  
"I... I had no choice if I was to survive and protect you myself."  
"But why? Why by magic? Why not with a sword, as an honorable person does?" Arthur asked without understanding.  
Then the dragon could no longer hold on to himself and thundered: "An honorable man? Do you really think that your uncle was an honorable man? Or that people with a sword were more honorable than a wizard with his magic? Do you think that finding death by magic would be more painful than by a sword? Or that one would be less dead by a stroke of the sword than by the oh so despicable magic? Young king, how little do you know about magic and how little do you deserve the loyalty of your friend at this moment. You kill without thinking when you are attacked, am I right? Do you remember the faces of all those you have killed? The answer to that is no, am I right, since you have fought so many battles and battles in your life that you have to lose track. What is wrong with someone using the tools they have to defend themselves? And listen carefully, I said defend, not attack. You were running from your uncle. Merlin stayed behind to give you the opportunity to do this. Do you really think Merlin planned it that way, hiding so he could use magic to kill your uncle behind his back? Unfortunately, Merlin could not shake off the pursuers as he had hoped. He was trapped, apparently unarmed. He warned your uncle several times, but he didn't want to let go of his plan. When he realized that Merlin was a wizard, he allegedly wanted to pull him on his side and reduced the distance between them. When he attacked from behind this time, Merlin defended himself and that was the death of Agravaine.  
The dragon continued to hold Arthur captive in his gaze. Small clouds of smoke came out of his nostrils in rage. Arthur lowered his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."  
The dragon, however, relented: "What exactly are you sorry for? That Merlin was forced to kill to protect you? That you know nothing about magic? Or that you hurt your friend with your thoughtless words?"  
"All of the above, but especially the latter. I can't shake off this trained 'magic is evil' that I've been taught all my life. I know now that it's not true, but that's not yet anchored in my subconscious. I'm working on it, but it takes time."  
"That's the first meaningful sentence I've heard from you. And now tell me your reason why you wanted to talk to me," the dragon demanded.  
"This situation shows me once again that this fate Merlin spoke of cannot mean me. I make mistakes, I know too little about magic, wars and other disasters happen all the time. I definitely cannot be the king who unites Albion and brings peace and prosperity to the people. I came to make sure that Merlin might have just wanted to hear the words and that another king was meant. I am often overwhelmed with the task of protecting my kingdom, how can I do that when all of Albion is affected," Arthur said, full of doubt and concern.  
"Arthur Pendragon, it was already your destiny to grow up at this wizard's side to become the former and future king of Albion when you were still in the cradle. You are like two sides of the same coin - two aspects of the same thing - two lives that are inevitably linked. It is your destiny to free magic, and even if you are still hostile to it, you still entrust Merlin with your own life, even though he is a wizard. Merlin was neither punished nor taken prisoner. I see this as the first steps to free magic. There may be a long way to go before then, but you will take it together and ..." Kilgharrah broke off in mid-sentence and looked up into the sky.  
On the horizon there was a white spot that came quickly closer. Arthur could slowly see that it had to be another dragon, and a white one at that.  
"Uh, Arthur! I should tell you quickly that Kilgharrah is not the last dragon by now, but that another dragon exists. Her name is Aithusa. I did not think she would answer my call. Stand behind me. I have not seen her since your birth, so I don't know how she will react to your presence. I would send you away, but I doubt you would go."  
Arthur obeyed reluctantly. He was simply reluctant to have Merlin stand in front of him and thus protect him - that was his role after all. He was the battle-hardened knight and Merlin actually the one who needed protection. In astonishment, he looked up at the approaching point in the sky when a thought came to him, which he said: "You were able to save the egg before the tower collapsed!  
Merlin just nodded as he wanted to keep an eye on Aithusa.  
The dragon made a landing that was far less elegant than that of the great dragon.  
The dragons exchanged for a while, and then Aithusa was curious to know who had actually called her. She could remember that this voice had shown her the way when she hatched. She looked at the small human in front of her. He looked so weak, but she knew that appearances could be deceptive.  
"Aithusa," she heard in her thoughts.  
The voice did not belong to the great dragon, so it had to come from the Dragonlord. She had just learned this word from the great dragon. She doubted that this tiny creature could dictate to her, but to disregard the words of the other dragon was certainly not wise. The Tiny bowed before her. Yes, she liked that, but it was also funny. He looked at her happily and his face darkened. He opened his mouth and strange noises came out, but she did not understand them. She made herself big and tried to appear scary. There was another one behind the tiny one. This one was a bit bigger and more muscular, but still no danger for her.  
Merlin turned to Kilgharrah and asked, "She doesn't understand me?"  
Aithusa understood the questioning tone in this question, but she did not fully understand the content.  
Slowly Merlin walked towards Aithusa with outstretched hand. She was curious. The touches of Morgana were not unpleasant for her and so she waited calmly. The hand touched her cheek and a warm feeling spread inside her. That was so pleasant. When an image of Morgana came into her mind, she recoiled. She didn't believe that Morgana would approve of this. Merlin also took several steps back and whispered quietly, "Morgana.  
Aithusa pricked up her ears. She understood this name and rejoiced. She emitted a small flame and nodded.  
Merlin discovered that something was wrong with the white dragon. The scales were no longer as white as before, but rather gray. In his eyes Merlin could see a shadow that he could not explain.  
"Kilgharrah, is it possible that the dragon is sick or under some spell of Morgana?"  
The great dragon breathed on the white dragon. The dragon looked up and waited anxiously what might happen. Kilgharrah had also noticed that something about the dragon was different. But he could not quite name what it was. He tried to communicate with the white dragon. He succeeded, but the conversation was only possible through images and feelings - words did not really get through. The great dragon often caught the image of Morgana, but the feelings associated with it were very different from Aithusa. She felt joy that she could help Morgana. Apparently the young dragon had saved her life once and thus unconsciously bound himself to the witch. But she was also a bit afraid that Morgana would notice her absence and that she might become evil again. Usually she only disappeared from the cave for a short time so that she could go hunting for a short time. But most of the time she spent in the dark and small cave where Morgana usually waited for her. She was also sad about the fact that Morgana was apparently never happy, but constantly screamed and especially in recent times very often made strange, frightening noises, which made the air crackle and made her scales itch so unpleasantly.  
Kilgharrah on the other hand showed Aithusa with images and feelings that he trusted Merlin and would protect him and the king with all his means.  
The great dragon turned to Merlin and Arthur again: "I must warn you. Morgana lives. Aithusa saved her some time ago with her magic and thus created a connection between her and Morgana. She has somehow made friends with Morgana, although Aithusa has not yet recognized Morgana's cruelty, since Morgana also considers Aithusa a familiar. Furthermore, Morgana has apparently recently tried out various curses, which most certainly contain despicable spells. You should be especially careful in the near future."  
Aithusa watched the two humans and was curious about the other human. Would the touch of the stronger one feel as warm? Slowly she approached Arthur and suddenly looked into the eyes of Merlin. It seemed to her as if he could see through the eyes into her soul. No matter what he might have seen, he took a step

to the side and gave her the way to Arthur.  
Merlin whispered to Arthur: "She is curious about you. If she seeks your touch, gently stroke her cheek..."  
Arthur was sure that this was not a good idea at all. After all, this was a dragon that apparently sympathized with Morgana. He didn't understand why the other two didn't attack the dragon lady immediately. What were the two thinking? She could break his neck with one bite or let him burst into flames in a moment. He noticed how a bead of sweat from his forehead slowly made its way across his cheek. His hands were also sweaty, yet he did not dare to wipe them on his shirt, as he wanted to avoid unnecessary movements.  
The young dragon also bridged the last distance between them and nudged at Arthur's sweaty hand with her nose. He slowly raised his hand to the dragon's cheek and remained in this position.  
Aithusa was very pleased with what happened. She enjoyed the warmth and the human made a dignified impression despite his fear. She knew intuitively that this was Arthur - the very person Morgana hated so much. She on the other hand liked him very much. Maybe it was his posture or his eyes, in any case she liked him. But this warm and secure feeling she felt when she touched Merlin did not occur. She suddenly swung around to Merlin and nudged him. He lost his balance and tried to hold on to something. He unexpectedly did not reach into the void and was able to regain his balance, but he was overcome by strong feelings of familiarity and security, so that he gasped for air. He blinked and only now realized that he was holding on to a jag of Aithusa's head and leaning against her neck.  
The great dragon watched the scene with hope, but Arthur had mixed feelings. Merlin began to loosen the grip and started to scratch the dragon lady at the back of her head. She emitted a satisfied purr, which turned out to be a deep, humming sound. This was the only sound that could be heard for quite a while. Everyone hung on to his thoughts, while Merlin did not break the physical contact to the young dragon. The big dragon stretched for a while and shook out his wings. Merlin was torn from his thoughts and broke off the crawl. Aithusa snorted discontentedly at first, but she noticed that it was already dawning. She realized how long she had been gone. She quickly rubbed herself against Merlin to say goodbye, sent a short burst of flame in the direction of the dragon and started to fly. Merlin could not keep his balance this time with so much impetuousness and ploped down on his butt. Arthur made some frightened sentences backwards when he saw the flames. He noticed that the big dragon returned the flames, and fear spread within him. It was all so strange to him. He would have liked to have forbidden all this. What you did not understand... that frightened you. Even if he did not like to admit it to himself, he was afraid. But he was able to prevent it from paralyzing him or leading him to rash actions.

"I have hope. Although the young Dragon Lady is naive and may not yet recognize malice, she intuitively seeks closeness to her Dragonlord and shows respect to older people of her race. I try to find her and teach her, if I can. Merlin and Arthur, you have already survived many dangers together. I sense that new challenges await you once again. How close they are I cannot say. The fate of Camelot rests in your hands. Trust each other and learn to understand each other better," said the great dragon, looking deep into Arthur's eyes as he made his last sentence. He spread his wings and took off into the sky.  
The two friends looked after the dragon. Merlin turned to Arthur and said, "It is almost light, we should leave quickly before you are missed too much.  
Arthur just nodded and the two men set off.  
Although Arthur had now spoken with the dragon, he did not understand much more. Why weren't they more suspicious of the other dragon? This question occupied him all the way back until he spoke it out to Merlin.  
Merlin looked thoughtfully at Arthur and reported: "I risked my life to save the dragon's egg. I helped give birth to it and gave its name to Aithusa. I feel responsible for her. Furthermore, she is not malicious, but rather curious and seeks warmth and security. I understand your fears. As a dragon she has the power to spread much death and terror, but she can also become a loyal friend. I don't know which way is meant for her, but I will teach and protect her as long as I can. I am the last Dragonlord, so her welfare and protection is my responsibility.  
Arthur was unable to respond and they rode back in silence. Although some questions were answered, he felt that at least twice as many had been created in his mind. Now he had heard the dragon's words, but he still couldn't believe that he was to play such an important role. His kingdom reacting often made him desperate, but freeing the magic and uniting Albion - that was too much, he couldn't do it all alone. And yet the thought came from somewhere that he was not alone. This made the king smile and reduced the pressure he felt on his shoulders.


	18. Dragons

"isn't that the same clearing we fought him in?" Said Arthur in disbelief. "Yes, it is big enough for him and it is far enough away, but still close enough that I can reach it quickly. I'll call the dragon in a moment. It sounds unusual to you because it is different from other spells, "warned Merlin. "Merlin, I have no idea about magic. No matter what you do, it will be new to me, "he tried to calm his servant. Merlin didn't quite believe it, as Arthur really hardly knew about sorcery, but at least he had warned him. He couldn't do more. He concentrated and called in a deep and powerful voice: "O drakon, e mal so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" Arthur really hadn't expected THAT. He just stared at Merlin with his mouth open and couldn't utter a word. He winced With his shoulders apologetically and said: "I tried to explain it to you, but I didn't quite succeed. It could be that we have to wait a bit, depending on where Kilgharrah is." After a few minutes it was already closed Realizing that a being was approaching on the horizon. Arthur had suppressed the size of the "great dragon" and had to stifle his instinct to flee with all the willpower he could muster, but he couldn't keep him from sweating profusely. He watched Merlin, who smiled and was delighted to see his friend prepare to land. When the dust settled, Arthur saw the dragon and wizard bow to each other and stand for a very long time ever just stared. It was scary as he didn't know what exactly was happening. "Young magician", the dragon greeted Merlin, "I see you have a lot to report. Young Arthur Pendragon seems to finally know that you are a wizard and I am glad that you did not end up at a stake. To what crisis do I owe it that you called for me? "" There is no greater crisis. Arthur asked to talk to you. I confessed to him yesterday morning that I was a wizard. I didn't know if it wasn't maybe too early or maybe already too late, but I wanted Arthur to find out my secret from me, "Merlin explained. The dragon made a satisfied impression and said: "I am proud of you. You have found the courage, despite your greatest fear, to confide in Arthur. You made the right decision. I fear that new dangers await you and honesty and trust are your strongest protection. "Merlin was used to the dragon always talking in riddles, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. Merlin left it at that. He turned to Arthur and said, "I have just explained the situation to Kilgharrah." With no understanding flashing in Arthur's eyes, Merlin continued, "We have magic and can communicate with each other through thought language." The king looked at the great dragon and didn't know what to say. Since he had previously watched Merlin greet the dragon, Arthur imitated this greeting. The dragon did not show his surprise and greeted the king with the words: "King Arthur Pendragon. I am happy to finally get to know you personally, because that this conversation would take place was only a question of when. I am also pleased that your manners have apparently improved. "The king was amazed. He didn't expect that the dragon's voice would be so pleasant and that it could even speak to him. Not only could one see great knowledge and intelligence in his eyes, but he also had a sense of humor. "Um, I'm working on my manners and I thought it advisable to greet you with respect. But even if Merlin assured me that you were a friend of his, I do not know if you are also a friend of Camelot. You attacked us years ago, causing a lot of pain and death. "Arthur bit his tongue. He hadn't intended to provoke the dragon. However, the latter bowed his head ruefully and said with all sincerity: "My behavior was only guided by revenge, because I assumed that I had nothing else to do. But what would you do if someone hunted and eventually slaughtered everyone you know and love, each one of your kind? If only you were left, cooped up alone in the dark for years and chained up like a wild animal that you are mistaken for. I know my behavior was wrong and is unforgivable but Merlin showed me a mercy that I had not expected. The last Dragonlord spared my life, because he could not bring himself to kill a being with magic like himself. I would help Merlin anytime, not because I have to follow his command, but because he is my friend and he is worthy of my help. To return to your questions: Yes, I am Merlin's friend, and since Merlin is a friend of Camelot, I will not attack Camelot. I will also come to your aid at any time and help you escape."  
Arthur just stared at the dragon. Slowly his words seeped into his consciousness. The dragon had consciously saved their lives only a few weeks before. So it was no coincidence that the dragon had come and stood against Agravaine and Helios people.  
"Merlin had called you so that we had a chance to escape, and you came to our rescue, not to our ruin! Did you kill my uncle?" Arthur then asked carefully.  
"I killed many people that day, but I don't know if your uncle was among them," said the dragon sincerely. At the same time he noticed that Merlin's face was distorted with pain and guilt.  
He addressed Merlin in his thoughts: "Merlin, what troubles you?  
The dragon answered him in thought. "I killed his uncle. Is it wise to tell him," he asked back uncertainly and told the dragon every detail of the situation.  
"As I just mentioned, trust and honesty is the best protection. If he learns it from someone else, it will only sow doubt. Doubts that can end deadly," the dragon replied calmly to the wizard.  
Arthur overheard that the dragon and Merlin were apparently exchanging thoughts again. A strange feeling came over him that he could not interpret. No matter what was to come, he was sure that he did not want to know this, and yet... He had not noticed so much over the years, did not know many details of stories he had experienced, so he had to know. "Whatever it is Merlin, please say it," the king demanded.  
Merlin looked sadly at Arthur and said softly, "I killed your uncle - with magic.  
Arthur had not counted on this. He knew that his uncle had betrayed him and planned his death, but it was still his uncle. And here stood Merlin, confessing that he had killed him with magic.  
"Why did you kill him with magic?" At these words Merlin flinched so violently that even the dragon shook from the connection. Arthur was so fixated on Merlin that he didn't even notice.  
"I... I had no choice if I was to survive and protect you myself."  
"But why? Why by magic? Why not with a sword, as an honorable person does?" Arthur asked without understanding.  
Then the dragon could no longer hold on to himself and thundered: "An honorable man? Do you really think that your uncle was an honorable man? Or that people with a sword were more honorable than a wizard with his magic? Do you think that finding death by magic would be more painful than by a sword? Or that one would be less dead by a stroke of the sword than by the oh so despicable magic? Young king, how little do you know about magic and how little do you deserve the loyalty of your friend at this moment. You kill without thinking when you are attacked, am I right? Do you remember the faces of all those you have killed? The answer to that is no, am I right, since you have fought so many battles and battles in your life that you have to lose track. What is wrong with someone using the tools they have to defend themselves? And listen carefully, I said defend, not attack. You were running from your uncle. Merlin stayed behind to give you the opportunity to do this. Do you really think Merlin planned it that way, hiding so he could use magic to kill your uncle behind his back? Unfortunately, Merlin could not shake off the pursuers as he had hoped. He was trapped, apparently unarmed. He warned your uncle several times, but he didn't want to let go of his plan. When he realized that Merlin was a wizard, he allegedly wanted to pull him on his side and reduced the distance between them. When he attacked from behind this time, Merlin defended himself and that was the death of Agravaine.  
The dragon continued to hold Arthur captive in his gaze. Small clouds of smoke came out of his nostrils in rage. Arthur lowered his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."  
The dragon, however, relented: "What exactly are you sorry for? That Merlin was forced to kill to protect you? That you know nothing about magic? Or that you hurt your friend with your thoughtless words?"  
"All of the above, but especially the latter. I can't shake off this trained 'magic is evil' that I've been taught all my life. I know now that it's not true, but that's not yet anchored in my subconscious. I'm working on it, but it takes time."  
"That's the first meaningful sentence I've heard from you. And now tell me your reason why you wanted to talk to me," the dragon demanded.  
"This situation shows me once again that this fate Merlin spoke of cannot mean me. I make mistakes, I know too little about magic, wars and other disasters happen all the time. I definitely cannot be the king who unites Albion and brings peace and prosperity to the people. I came to make sure that Merlin might have just wanted to hear the words and that another king was meant. I am often overwhelmed with the task of protecting my kingdom, how can I do that when all of Albion is affected," Arthur said, full of doubt and concern.  
"Arthur Pendragon, it was already your destiny to grow up at this wizard's side to become the former and future king of Albion when you were still in the cradle. You are like two sides of the same coin - two aspects of the same thing - two lives that are inevitably linked. It is your destiny to free magic, and even if you are still hostile to it, you still entrust Merlin with your own life, even though he is a wizard. Merlin was neither punished nor taken prisoner. I see this as the first steps to free magic. There may be a long way to go before then, but you will take it together and ..." Kilgharrah broke off in mid-sentence and looked up into the sky.  
On the horizon there was a white spot that came quickly closer. Arthur could slowly see that it had to be another dragon, and a white one at that.  
"Uh, Arthur! I should tell you quickly that Kilgharrah is not the last dragon by now, but that another dragon exists. Her name is Aithusa. I did not think she would answer my call. Stand behind me. I have not seen her since your birth, so I don't know how she will react to your presence. I would send you away, but I doubt you would go."  
Arthur obeyed reluctantly. He was simply reluctant to have Merlin stand in front of him and thus protect him - that was his role after all. He was the battle-hardened knight and Merlin actually the one who needed protection. In astonishment, he looked up at the approaching point in the sky when a thought came to him, which he said: "You were able to save the egg before the tower collapsed!  
Merlin just nodded as he wanted to keep an eye on Aithusa.  
The dragon made a landing that was far less elegant than that of the great dragon.  
The dragons exchanged for a while, and then Aithusa was curious to know who had actually called her. She could remember that this voice had shown her the way when she hatched. She looked at the small human in front of her. He looked so weak, but she knew that appearances could be deceptive.  
"Aithusa," she heard in her thoughts.  
The voice did not belong to the great dragon, so it had to come from the Dragonlord. She had just learned this word from the great dragon. She doubted that this tiny creature could dictate to her, but to disregard the words of the other dragon was certainly not wise. The Tiny bowed before her. Yes, she liked that, but it was also funny. He looked at her happily and his face darkened. He opened his mouth and strange noises came out, but she did not understand them. She made herself big and tried to appear scary. There was another one behind the tiny one. This one was a bit bigger and more muscular, but still no danger for her.  
Merlin turned to Kilgharrah and asked, "She doesn't understand me?"  
Aithusa understood the questioning tone in this question, but she did not fully understand the content.  
Slowly Merlin walked towards Aithusa with outstretched hand. She was curious. The touches of Morgana were not unpleasant for her and so she waited calmly. The hand touched her cheek and a warm feeling spread inside her. That was so pleasant. When an image of Morgana came into her mind, she recoiled. She didn't believe that Morgana would approve of this. Merlin also took several steps back and whispered quietly, "Morgana.  
Aithusa pricked up her ears. She understood this name and rejoiced. She emitted a small flame and nodded.  
Merlin discovered that something was wrong with the white dragon. The scales were no longer as white as before, but rather gray. In his eyes Merlin could see a shadow that he could not explain.  
"Kilgharrah, is it possible that the dragon is sick or under some spell of Morgana?"  
The great dragon breathed on the white dragon. The dragon looked up and waited anxiously what might happen. Kilgharrah had also noticed that something about the dragon was different. But he could not quite name what it was. He tried to communicate with the white dragon. He succeeded, but the conversation was only possible through images and feelings - words did not really get through. The great dragon often caught the image of Morgana, but the feelings associated with it were very different from Aithusa. She felt joy that she could help Morgana. Apparently the young dragon had saved her life once and thus unconsciously bound himself to the witch. But she was also a bit afraid that Morgana would notice her absence and that she might become evil again. Usually she only disappeared from the cave for a short time so that she could go hunting for a short time. But most of the time she spent in the dark and small cave where Morgana usually waited for her. She was also sad about the fact that Morgana was apparently never happy, but constantly screamed and especially in recent times very often made strange, frightening noises, which made the air crackle and made her scales itch so unpleasantly.  
Kilgharrah on the other hand showed Aithusa with images and feelings that he trusted Merlin and would protect him and the king with all his means.  
The great dragon turned to Merlin and Arthur again: "I must warn you. Morgana lives. Aithusa saved her some time ago with her magic and thus created a connection between her and Morgana. She has somehow made friends with Morgana, although Aithusa has not yet recognized Morgana's cruelty, since Morgana also considers Aithusa a familiar. Furthermore, Morgana has apparently recently tried out various curses, which most certainly contain despicable spells. You should be especially careful in the near future."  
Aithusa watched the two humans and was curious about the other human. Would the touch of the stronger one feel as warm? Slowly she approached Arthur and suddenly looked into the eyes of Merlin. It seemed to her as if he could see through the eyes into her soul. No matter what he might have seen, he took a step

to the side and gave her the way to Arthur.  
Merlin whispered to Arthur: "She is curious about you. If she seeks your touch, gently stroke her cheek..."  
Arthur was sure that this was not a good idea at all. After all, this was a dragon that apparently sympathized with Morgana. He didn't understand why the other two didn't attack the dragon lady immediately. What were the two thinking? She could break his neck with one bite or let him burst into flames in a moment. He noticed how a bead of sweat from his forehead slowly made its way across his cheek. His hands were also sweaty, yet he did not dare to wipe them on his shirt, as he wanted to avoid unnecessary movements.  
The young dragon also bridged the last distance between them and nudged at Arthur's sweaty hand with her nose. He slowly raised his hand to the dragon's cheek and remained in this position.  
Aithusa was very pleased with what happened. She enjoyed the warmth and the human made a dignified impression despite his fear. She knew intuitively that this was Arthur - the very person Morgana hated so much. She on the other hand liked him very much. Maybe it was his posture or his eyes, in any case she liked him. But this warm and secure feeling she felt when she touched Merlin did not occur. She suddenly swung around to Merlin and nudged him. He lost his balance and tried to hold on to something. He unexpectedly did not reach into the void and was able to regain his balance, but he was overcome by strong feelings of familiarity and security, so that he gasped for air. He blinked and only now realized that he was holding on to a jag of Aithusa's head and leaning against her neck.  
The great dragon watched the scene with hope, but Arthur had mixed feelings. Merlin began to loosen the grip and started to scratch the dragon lady at the back of her head. She emitted a satisfied purr, which turned out to be a deep, humming sound. This was the only sound that could be heard for quite a while. Everyone hung on to his thoughts, while Merlin did not break the physical contact to the young dragon. The big dragon stretched for a while and shook out his wings. Merlin was torn from his thoughts and broke off the crawl. Aithusa snorted discontentedly at first, but she noticed that it was already dawning. She realized how long she had been gone. She quickly rubbed herself against Merlin to say goodbye, sent a short burst of flame in the direction of the dragon and started to fly. Merlin could not keep his balance this time with so much impetuousness and ploped down on his butt. Arthur made some frightened sentences backwards when he saw the flames. He noticed that the big dragon returned the flames, and fear spread within him. It was all so strange to him. He would have liked to have forbidden all this. What you did not understand... that frightened you. Even if he did not like to admit it to himself, he was afraid. But he was able to prevent it from paralyzing him or leading him to rash actions.

"I have hope. Although the young Dragon Lady is naive and may not yet recognize malice, she intuitively seeks closeness to her Dragonlord and shows respect to older people of her race. I try to find her and teach her, if I can. Merlin and Arthur, you have already survived many dangers together. I sense that new challenges await you once again. How close they are I cannot say. The fate of Camelot rests in your hands. Trust each other and learn to understand each other better," said the great dragon, looking deep into Arthur's eyes as he made his last sentence. He spread his wings and took off into the sky.  
The two friends looked after the dragon. Merlin turned to Arthur and said, "It is almost light, we should leave quickly before you are missed too much.  
Arthur just nodded and the two men set off.  
Although Arthur had now spoken with the dragon, he did not understand much more. Why weren't they more suspicious of the other dragon? This question occupied him all the way back until he spoke it out to Merlin.  
Merlin looked thoughtfully at Arthur and reported: "I risked my life to save the dragon's egg. I helped give birth to it and gave its name to Aithusa. I feel responsible for her. Furthermore, she is not malicious, but rather curious and seeks warmth and security. I understand your fears. As a dragon she has the power to spread much death and terror, but she can also become a loyal friend. I don't know which way is meant for her, but I will teach and protect her as long as I can. I am the last Dragonlord, so her welfare and protection is my responsibility.  
Arthur was unable to respond and they rode back in silence. Although some questions were answered, he felt that at least twice as many had been created in his mind. Now he had heard the dragon's words, but he still couldn't believe that he was to play such an important role. His kingdom reacting often made him desperate, but freeing the magic and uniting Albion - that was too much, he couldn't do it all alone. And yet the thought came from somewhere that he was not alone. This made the king smile and reduced the pressure he felt on his shoulders.

A/N

Sorry for the bad format for reading but I don´t know how to fix since


	19. Fairy wishes

Arthur and Merlin were not able to sneak back into the castle completely unnoticed, since the daily business had begun there in the meantime. Arthur ignored the surprised looks of the castle's inhabitants. They were not used to see the king at such an early hour, since he usually crawled out of bed in the late morning. He was definitely not a morning person. But he was not bothered further, because his surroundings noticed that he was deeply sunk in gloomy thoughts.  
Just before they finally arrived in his royal chambers, the door was ripped open by an angry Gwen. The queen sparkled at the two men so penetratingly that they felt smaller and smaller and more and more uncomfortable. Gwen stepped aside, leaving the way into the room clear. She let them enter the room and closed the door just as she began to say, "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you two good-for-nothings! I have been waiting for hours for your return. I did not know where you were or why you left the castle. Which scenes do you think went through my mind - and one was worse than the other? I only knew from Gaius that Arthur was with Merlin that evening to talk. When I came to our room and no one was there, I didn't think anything of it at first, but as the hours passed, I could hardly put my impatience into words. The dinner from us is standing there untouched, because I couldn't get a bite down. All night I waited for you and ... and ..."  
Merlin and Arthur looked at each other with a sad look and a guilty conscience. They hadn't really noticed how long they had been gone and had forgotten to let Gwen know.  
Arthur first took the floor: "We are fine, Gwen. I'm sorry we left so hastily yesterday and didn't tell you where we were. Writing a letter would probably have been a bit risky, since I had expressed the wish to speak to the Great Dragon in person and we ..."  
Gwen came up to him and shoved him because she was so upset. "By the dragon," she replied, struggling to keep her voice from getting too loud. "You're afraid if I talk to Merlin alone and then you go with him to a vengeful and dangerous dragon to talk to and you don't tell me this before?" Gwen exclaimed excitedly.  
Merlin felt compelled to calm the waves a little. "Arthur couldn't believe that he had a great destiny ahead of him and wanted to see for himself if someone else was not meant. We thought the trip might take an hour, but we were wrong."  
Gwen snorted, but Merlin didn't go into it and continued: "We didn't talk to Kilgharrah for very long until suddenly another dragon appeared on the horizon, which made the situation much more complicated.  
"Another dragon?" whispered Gwen in shock.  
"Yes, Merlin has his secrets, and one of them was that he had saved a dragon egg and helped it give birth," Arthur explained.  
"I haven't seen her since the birth, because dragons should be free, and that freedom I gave her. But somehow Morgana has her hands in it. Morgana is alive, because Aithusa probably cured her. Creatures with magic are attracted to her kind and Aithusa is often close to Morgana. Although I can't communicate with her properly, she doesn't seem to have anything sneaky or evil in her. She also sought Arthur's proximity and made no attempt to harm him. One of the advantages of this encounter is that the young dragon saw that Morgana was desperately trying to cast one or more malicious spells".  
Gwen turned white as a sheet at these words.  
"Do you know what kind of spells we have to fear and when they will strike?" she asked seriously.  
"No, I'm afraid not. The dragon lady has not yet learned to communicate with words, so she uses images and feelings. We can only assume that the curses are directed against Arthur."  
Arthur, whose stomach was meanwhile starving, had started to look at the dinner of the day before. He was just about to eat a piece of cheese when he saw an alarmed Merlin in front of him who knocked the piece out of his hand. Arthur was just about to get upset about his behavior and reprimand him when he noticed that something was wrong. He saw everything blurred and even the sounds were somehow distorted. He could see Merlin screaming something to Gwen and she left the room in a hurry. A feeling of  
Weightlessness set in and he didn't understand why Merlin probably yelled at him. But the strangest thing was that Merlin's eyes kept changing color and shining golden. He liked this interplay of colors very much and he smiled. He stumbled and fell into the chair, when he probably got a push from Merlin. Suddenly Gwen was there again and an old man. Gaius perhaps? When a disgusting tasting liquid was poured into his mouth, he tried to resist and not swallow, but his nose was covered. The liquid ran down his esophagus, leaving a burning sensation that reached his stomach. Suddenly he was so nauseous that he threw up. He hardly noticed that almost out of nowhere a bucket was floating in front of his face and he vomited into it. When the choking finally stopped, a cup of black liquid was held to his mouth. He was very thirsty, but on the other hand he did not want to drink this. His mouth was opened roughly, the liquid was poured in and he swallowed reflexively. This brew was not as bad as the other one, but still the comparison to pieces of coal came to his mind. He no longer refused to drink the rest of the cup because he lacked the energy to do so, and slowly he lost himself in the blackness. He briefly emerged from it again and noticed that he was carried to the bed by several hands, but he closed his eyes again.

Gwen would probably never forget how Merlin got goose bumps all over his body in a flash and his features were derailed. She followed his horrified look and could only see that Arthur had put some cheese from the last dinner in his mouth. Merlin was already with Arthur the next moment and prevented him from continuing to eat. Already he barked instructions to Gwen: "Run to Gaius immediately and come back with him and a vomiting and detoxification tincture!  
Still she stared at Merlin in surprise and noticed that Arthur had glassy eyes and was swaying.  
Merlin screamed, "Gwen! Immediately! RUN!"  
Gwen freed herself from her rigidity and ran to Gaius as fast as she could. The way there seemed endlessly long to her. Her lungs burned from the spurt, but she gritted her teeth. She almost crashed into Gaius' chamber and breathlessly repeated Merlin's instructions. Luckily, Merlin asked no further questions, unerringly grabbed the desired tinctures and pressed them into Gwen's hand. "Hurry is definitely called for. I will follow as fast as I can, but you will be faster without me.  
She stared into her hands, turned around quickly and shouted at a servant to get out of the way, thus avoiding a collision. When she rushed back into the room she saw that Merlin was chalk pale and had drops of sweat on her forehead. Again and again his eyes glowed golden. He murmured soft words and his hand floated over Arthur. When she saw the face of her husband, she was terrified. Not only did his eyes appear even more glassy, but his face had taken on an unhealthy coloration, and yellow foam came out of his mouth.  
Merlin saw Gwen, and a small spark of hope spread in him. "Quickly, give me the vial of yellow tincture."  
He almost tore the medicine from her hands and forced Arthur to swallow a few drops. With a gesture of his hand and another lightening of his eyes, a bucket floated in front of Arthur's face just in time. Gwen became quite different when she saw that there were isolated traces of blood in the bucket. Gaius had now also arrived, took the second vial from Gwen's hand, put the full contents into a cup of fresh water and passed it on to Merlin. After Arthur had swallowed the detox potion, he finally lost consciousness.  
Sir Gwaine entered the room with a smile and understood the situation in seconds. He rushed to Merlin's side, who could no longer hold Arthur's weight. Sir Leon and Sir Percival had also just arrived in the royal chamber. They were from the guards were informed that Arthur had only returned from an excursion early in the morning and they were curious to know what was going on.  
Gaius declared: "The king has been poisoned. We hope that by intervening quickly we were able to save his life. Help Sir Gwaine put him on the bed."  
The moment the knights lifted their king and Merlin took the burden off him, the king collapsed with a sigh. Then Gaius hurried to his foster son and felt for his pulse. He had held his breath and ejected it in relief. "Go on, put the king in his bed and help me put Merlin on the other side of the bed.  
The knights granted the first request, but hesitated to grant the second.  
"Heaven forbid, do as he says," Gwen rebuked the knights.  
They hurried to carry out the queen's order. After Merlin also lay in the royal bed, an uncomfortable silence developed. The picture of Arthur and Merlin in the royal bed was very strange and the knights stepped from one foot to the other, unpleasantly touched.  
"What happened?" Sir Leon finally said.  
Gwen had gathered herself something. She became aware again that she was the queen and had to behave accordingly. She now had to be strong, make decisions and lead. She looked around and considered what information she was giving away. Did the knights in the room know about Merlin's magic?  
"We know that Merlin is a sorcerer, but I don't assume he poisoned Arthur?" Sir Leon said, as if he had read her mind.  
Gwen was surprised that these words came from him of all people. At the same time, however, she was relieved because it made her decision easier. "This makes the answer to the questions much less complicated - or rather more honest. Let me briefly summarize what I know, then you can ask questions. Merlin and Arthur were on their way last night to visit the great dragon."  
She heard the knights curse in a low voice.  
"That was not the dangerous part of the evening. Since Merlin is not only friends with this dragon, but also the last dragonlord, there was no great danger." She saw that the knights' eyes almost fell out of their faces in astonishment. Apparently this was new information... "It became more complicated when a second, younger dragon appeared, who somehow has contact with Morgana. Through this encounter, Merlin learned that Morgana had recently begun casting curses again, probably against Arthur or in some other form against Camelot. I don't know how Merlin found out, but before Arthur could eat a second bite of the cheese, he stopped him. We need to find out who brought the dinner and who else had access to it," she said, turning to Gaius. "Can you further explain Merlin's behavior? I do not fully understand it myself."  
The court physician cleared his throat. "Merlin sent Gwen to me. I suspect that he used magic to prevent the poison from doing further damage and that he additionally strengthened Arthur's own healing powers."  
Gauis watched the reaction to his words very closely. Sir Gwaine merely nodded, with Sir Percival shaking his head. Sir Leon, however.  
clasped the pommel of the sword.  
"The first potion was intended to make you vomit, so that the stomach was quickly emptied and the poison could not cause any more damage. The second potion was used for general detoxification. I can only imagine a reasonable reason why Merlin collapsed. Since he probably did not eat anything poisoned, it was pure exhaustion. This means that it was a very effective, deadly poison or a curse could be attached to it. Merlin will hopefully recover quickly and for the king we unfortunately can't do anything more for him at the moment. I, however, will examine the dinner so that I can find out which poison was used and if an antidote exists or is necessary. Don't let them out of your sight and inform me immediately if there is any change in your health. With these words Gaius said goodbye and quickly bowed respectfully before the queen.  
"Very well. Sir Leon and Sir Percival, go and find out who had the opportunity to poison the food and who brought it here. Sir Gwaine will stay here for now and keep watch. Make sure there's a change of watch every three hours, and for now I only want to see knights in this room who know about Merlin's secret."  
"We suspect that only the three of us are privy to the secret, and your brother, my queen," Sir Percival said, explaining.  
Gwen nodded in relief and said, "We can work with that. It is possible that Merlin will use magic again to facilitate, or rather, speed up Arthur's recovery. Also, put guards outside the door. I hate to admit it, but the thought that not only Arthur but Merlin as well is incapacitated makes me nervous. The only other protection we ever had from magic unknowingly was Merlin. If magic were to be allowed again, it would probably be good to know wizards among the knights."  
In the last sentence, Gwen looked at the door as she heard a movement and bit her teeth. There stood Sir Mordred.  
The knight did not move, but took in the details of the situation. He saw Merlin and Arthur lying in bed, pale and unconscious. He stared at Merlin and cried out in his mind: "Emrys!"  
Merlin's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes.  
"Emrys! What happened?" Mordred continued to ask in his thoughts.  
Merlin closed his eyes, focused on Mordred, and replied in thought: "Arthur knows I have magic, like everyone else in the room. Of your magic I have revealed nothing. But Arthur was poisoned. I was able to prevent the worst."  
"Sir Mordred", Gwen interrupted the thought process. The others present had not realised Merlin had regained consciousness. However, he was so exhausted that he kept his eyes closed and concentrated solely on the conversation between Mordred and Gwen.  
"What do you want, my queen?" Mordred asked.  
"I demand to know what brings you here and how you feel about this situation."  
Mordred pondered briefly and replied, "I heard from one of the servants that the queen was very upset and rushed from the healer to her chamber, and I was worried. As it seems, Merlin was able to help the king, but he overreached himself. By the way, I support the idea that some knights should not only be able to handle the sword, but also magic, although I can't imagine that Merlin will ever master the handling of a sword".  
Everyone in the room was staring at Sir Mordred. He just shrugged his shoulders and turned back to Merlin in his thoughts: "Emrys, a little help would be fine. The only word Mordred could make out was a whispered 'exhausted' in his mind. He frowned.  
"What's on your mind and how do you know about Merlin," Gwen asked, watching him.  
"Emr... um, Merlin is not an unknown man among the druids. Nearly everyone knows him somehow, but again, not at all. Merlin has probably pushed himself to the point of exhaustion and beyond. I recommend that he is not woken and sleeps as long as he can, provided the king's health does not deteriorate.  
"Then Merlin trusts you," Gwen concluded.  
Although Mordred did not like to think about it himself, he said resignedly, "I trust Merlin, but unfortunately he does not trust me. On the contrary, but I cannot tell you the reason, because I do not know it myself. How often have I asked myself why Merlin always distrusts me? "But I have decided to teach him better every day."  
"But you know his secret and have never told King Arthur," Sir Leon summarized. "Yes, it was not my place to tell the secret, and Arthur was not harmed by my actions. Besides, he needed Merlin as a magical shield to survive."  
Each one of them thought about those harsh words.  
Gwen whispered in horror: "That's what Merlin used to do, right? No matter what the danger, he always stood before Arthur without him noticing. What great strength does it take to do that?"  
"If you believe the druids, Merlin is perhaps the strongest wizard born yet. So the magical talent as well as his tenacity and loyalty were probably the reasons," Mordred replied. When he saw Gwen's expressionless face, he realized that the queen might not have expected an answer to her questions.  
Gwen shook her head. "The instructions remain. Sir Leon and Sir Percival, take up your inquiries immediately. Sir Gwaine and Sir Mordred remain with me and the king. Inform my brother also of the present situation. Reports will be made every hour at the latest. Arrange the changing of the guard among you five. Best you bring in two more beds so we can take turns getting some sleep."  
"May I suggest that all food and drink brought into the royal chambers be screened for poison? I can do that part if you like - if Gaius is not available. During my stay with the druids I learned a lot about poisons and antidotes," Mordred interjected.  
Gwen nodded gratefully, as she had been worried about this, and the suggestion sounded reasonable.

After a short time, Sir Leon and Sir Percival personally placed two beds in the room. The two knights quickly disappeared them again to gather information. Gwen looked longingly at the bed. She had hardly closed one eye the night. She just wanted to test briefly whether the beds would be enough for them. When she laid her head on the pillow, she had already fallen asleep.  
Sir Gwaine whispered, "Let her sleep. If there is any change, we will wake her up again."  
Sir Mordred nodded and replied just as quietly, "Yes, she looked very tired. How is it that not only Arthur knows about Merlin's magic, but also some knights?"  
"He told Arthur out of the blue two days ago - just like that. I know about it because two days ago he saved me by magic from an arrow meant for me. But in retrospect, I guess it's not really surprising, is it? The other three know because I somehow pushed Merlin into it and I didn't expect Sir Leon's merciless reaction. Why didn't you tell King Arthur about Merlin being a sorcerer? "Wizards are evil, after all."  
"You do realize I think differently, after all I was raised by druids? Most of the wizards I met were helpful and good. I'm glad that Arthur doesn't take after his father and slaughter one wizard after another. I don't think I could bear that. I respect Arthur and I like him too. I wanted to spare him the agony of banishing Merlin or, at worst, killing him myself. That would have torn him apart mentally and only a lesser version of himself would have been the result. That something significant was going on was clear to me after the council meeting at the latest. Perhaps magic should be allowed back into Camelot." Mordred shook his head and added a 'mad'.  
"You have magic too, have you not?" Sir Gwaine surmised.  
Mordred froze and heard Merlin speak softly to him in thought: "Trust each other and learn to understand each other better.  
Mordred heard Gwaine answer, "Yes, but I don't think that's the reason for Merlin's distrust of me.  
Sir Gwaine laughed softly and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if, after the law was changed, people everywhere would start confessing their magic after a while. It also seems to me another very good reason not to rat Merlin out to Arthur.  
Mordred shrugged. "Why would I betray Merlin? He's a sorcerer like me and we're on Arthur's side."  
"Then it would be good if you stayed in this room at all times until Merlin was conscious. "You should also have the opportunity to teach Arthur your own magic. I will do my utmost to keep silent. I still feel guilty about having pushed Merlin, even though it is advantageous now that several knights are privy to it.  
"Why do you not mistrust me?" Mordred asked, visibly confused.  
"Intuition and common sense. You don't need magic to make Arthur or Merlin suffer. You have mastered the martial arts. with the sword outstanding. Maybe Merlin knows something that we don't, but all this talk of fate is a bit restrictive and I don't really believe in it. That wouldn't make sense either. If everything was already fixed, then our decisions would not change anything about fate and I refuse to accept that. I take my fate into my own hands, but I will not ignore certain warnings and signs, which would be stupid," Gwaine concluded.  
"I don't think I've ever heard so much wisdom from your mouth before," Mordred raised the other knight.  
"Don't betray me, I'm hanging on to my reputation," Sir Gwaine replied.  
Mordred looked briefly at the two sick men. Merlin was fast asleep and had some color in his face again. Arthur, on the other hand, looked almost healthy again, but this one was also asleep. After some time Gaius came in and instilled Arthur with chamomile tea and a light vegetable broth. Merlin, however, the healer could not make him do so.  
"It was probably a light poison, which was intensified by magic. Merlin used magic to lift the curse, and the detox potion and chamomile tea will do the rest. Infuse him with a cup of it every other hour. Especially Merlin has to eat something."  
The color of their faces became more natural and their pulse felt almost healthy. After Gaius had convinced himself that he could do nothing more but wait, he quietly said goodbye to the two knights so that he would not wake Gwen.


	20. Bronwen and Tea

Only very slowly did Arthur fight his way out of unconsciousness. He heard a faint snoring right next to him. He also had the feeling that there were other people in his immediate vicinity. He tried to concentrate to find out where he was. Slowly, fragments of thoughts seeped into his consciousness and still images passed his inner eye. He knew that his wife Gwen was angry with him. What had he been up to? It had something to do with Merlin, right? Then the encounter with the dragons came back to his mind. Yes, Gwen was probably angry, but probably more angry with Merlin. But why does he feel so strange? So absolutely exhausted and tired? He hadn't gotten any sleep that night, but that shouldn't make him feel so bruised. Besides, the quiet snoring right next to him was slowly disturbing him. He could not remember his wife snoring so annoyingly. He shivered when he remembered that his half-sister Morgana was still alive and was plotting against him again. Would this go on for the rest of his life - fighting against her again and again and again? He was quite tired of continuing this pointless war, but if he wanted to protect his life and Camelot, he probably had no choice. When he turned around and looked straight into Merlin's sleeping face, he stood up straight as a die and stared at his servant speechlessly.  
"What?," he began and was interrupted by the sight of a sleepy Gwen and two watchful knights in the room.  
Gwen blinked, quickly rubbing the sleep from her eyes and hurried to her husband. "Thank goodness you woke up," she said in relief and kissed Arthur with joy.  
"Hmph, I know that I am a morning grump, but now you are exaggerating," he said indignantly. He pruned and looked into the worried faces of Sir Gwaine and Sir Mordred. "Wait! I remember you being angry with me and Merlin, and then... The rest is very blurry," he ended. He remembered the repeated flashes of Merlin's eyes, but Sir Mordred was not supposed to learn Merlin's secret that way - at least not from him.  
"Who actually allowed Merlin to take a nap next to me," Arthur asked imperiously.  
Gwen shook her head and said, "That would be me. A little thanks for saving your life again."  
At these words, his eyes leapt to Mordred, who did not look surprised.  
"King Arthur, may I explain something?" Mordred raised his voice. Not denying this, Arthur continued: "You know that Merlin possesses magic. Probably he intuitively sensed the triggering of a curse and used a combination of magic and medicine to save you from dying of the cursed poison. He used so much magic at once that it literally burned him out. He has been sleeping motionless next to you for hours. Also the infusion of liquid is more difficult than with you. We were able to wake you up halfway so that you could take a few sips, but Merlin is not moving. If the condition does not change, he will die of thirst."  
Arthur looked around in panic and asked, "What can we do?"  
"If he stays in this state for more than two days, he will probably die of exhaustion and lack of water. If we do not manage to wake him up by then, perhaps an experienced healer could help him. It is quite possible that the curse has partially rubbed off on him while healing you.  
Before Arthur could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Sorry to disturb you," said Gareth.  
Sir Gwaine meant for him to enter. Gareth got big eyes. The King was in bed and his wife was standing beside him worried. In addition, there was another knight in the room beside Sir Gwaine. But he was disturbed by the sight of a sleeping Merlin next to the King. "l..." He choked and his eyes became bigger and bigger.  
Sir Gwaine explained in a calm tone: "King Arthur and Merlin were poisoned last night. The king has recovered well thanks to the quick action of Merlin and a detox potion, but with Merlin we do not know yet what to do". This was not quite the truth, but it came very close to it.  
Gareth, on the other hand, turned chalky white, began to tremble and stuttered: "I..., I...? Last night?" The panic in his eyes escaped anyone in the room.  
Sir Gwaine again addressed the word to Gareth: "Calm down. Take a deep breath in and out and report. That's an order."  
Gareth did as he was told. After taking several deep breaths in and out, he closed his eyes and spoke in a trembling voice:"I brought dinner to the royal chambers last night. A girl in the kitchen had put the tray in my hand. I do not know her name. She was tall, had blue eyes and brown, wavy hair. I meant no harm!"  
"This description doesn't fit any of the girls in the kitchen - unless a new one has recently been added," Gwen noted.  
Gareth was still standing there, frightened and with his eyes closed. Arthur slowly stood up and tested if his legs would hold him. Carefully, he stood up, went to Gareth and put his hand on his shoulder. The latter opened his eyes in horror and tears came out of them.  
"Calm down. It might as well have been Merlin who brought the food or someone else. My feelings and my mind tell me that you knew nothing about this. But surely there must have been a reason why you came to me?" Arthur asked reassuringly.  
Gareth nodded, cleared his throat and reported: "There are two strangers in the throne room who urgently want to see you. They spoke of the fact that it was not they who needed your help, but the other way around. Furthermore, they thought that the king must have awakened by now and their request was urgent.  
"Sir Gwaine, accompany your squire back to the throne room and tell the strangers that I will appear immediately," Arthur replied.  
When the two had left the room, he turned to his wife: "Help me out of my clothes quickly. Fresh water for a short wash must be enough.  
Sir Percival entered just as Arthur was about to leave. "Very well. Sir Mordred will accompany me to the throne room while Sir Percival keeps watch here."

He quickly kissed his wife and hurried down the corridors with the royal cloak on. He would have liked to run, but he did not want to put his body through that yet. When he reached the throne room, he stopped. He recognized two figures wrapped in gray clothes, one considerably smaller than the other.  
Before they turned around, Mordred heard a childlike voice in his head: "Nice to finally meet you in person, Mordred. Your behavior will determine the fate of Camelot and decide whether it blossoms or falls.  
During this thought process, the strangers turned to the king and took off their hoods. A tall, lean woman appeared, with pale blond hair and light blue eyes. The girl, however, was even more impressive. She had long, blonde and curly hair and a beautiful face, but her eyes were icy blue and radiated a knowledge that did not match the childlike face.  
"Greetings. How can I help you," the king opened the conversation.  
The girl looked him straight in the eyes and answered in a tender but firm voice: "It is not we who need your help, but you need ours.  
"I have no time for riddles right now. What exactly do you want," he addressed the guests impatiently.  
"Yes, no time is right, King Arthur Pendragon. Your magician is dying. His life hangs by a thin thread, and yet he fights to continue to stand by your side, to protect you, even if it costs his life.  
It was only a short time before Arthur understood that the girl might have meant Merlin by "his wizard". He tried to quell the panic and asked further: "How can you help him and what do you want in return?  
"We can help him, because we see what is wrong with him. In return, we ask for nothing. We only ask you to allow us to live peacefully in your kingdom," said the woman.  
"What happens if I do not grant the request?" Arthur asked.  
"We will still help you. It is your decision, so you will have to take the consequences," the girl said.  
"You are a sorcerer, you threaten me and you want to live in my kingdom," he said.  
"Yes, no and yes. Yes and no, we do have magic, but there are different talents in this world. No, we are not threatening you, because everyone bears the consequences of his actions himself and yes, we would like to be part of the union of Albion and see the blossoming of magic in your realm," the girl explained.  
"Who are you?" Mordred asked sharply.  
The girl looked at him long before she said, "My name is Teaghan. I have the good or bad luck not to be able to see into the future very often. However, when I see something, it is fateful. My Girlfriend Bronwen is a gifted healer and has specialized in the treatment of curses, among other things".  
Arthur didn't know what to choose. Was it true that Merlin was dying? The dragon's words echoed in Arthur's mind: 'Trust each other and learn to understand each other better'. Perhaps this advice was applicable in this situation, and so Arthur asked: "Why would you want to help us?  
The girl smiled contentedly and said, "By the way, my friends call me Tea. If we help you, we help ourselves at the same time. If your wizard dies, Camelot is lost."  
She looked in Mordred's direction and said half to him, half turned to the king: "This is just one of many opportunities to make the wrong choice, and Camelot and all the people of this realm will meet a dark fate. This shadow will not be confined to this realm and will spread."  
Suddenly her eyes became glassy and she looked through Arthur and Mordred. "His time is running out."  
Sir Percival burst into the throne room and whispered hastily to Arthur: "Majesty, you must return as soon as possible. I don't know what's happened, but it does not look good. I have already sent word to Gaius."  
Arthur made up his mind at that moment and ordered, "Follow me quickly, all of you."

They hurried back to his chambers. On the way there, Sir Percival declared: "His condition was unchanged the whole time. Suddenly, his body cramped up and I could see that something was literally consuming him from within.  
They discovered the pale Gwen crouching next to the emaciated Merlin. Bronwen and Tea lost no time and went straight to the dying man. Just as Bronwen was about to begin a spell, Tea held her back in her arm. Bronwen noticed that her eyes became glassy again.  
"Find a mark on his right arm. Burn it out," said the girl motionlessly.  
Everyone in the room froze as Bronwen examined Merlin's arm and opened their eyes in horror. Softly muttered words, a brief flash, and suddenly a small flame hovered over Bronwen's right index finger.  
Everyone tried to stop it, only Gaius shouted, "Damn it, don't hinder them!  
Everyone but Bronwen paused in their movement and they looked spellbound at Merlin. The room was filled with the smell of burning flesh and Gwen had to choke. Everyone could see the change. Merlin, who had been struggling to take one breath after another, was breathing a little easier now. His sunken cheeks seemed to be slowly getting fuller again.  
Bronwen said in surprise, "This is both horrible and remarkable.  
Gwen was the first to ask the question, "What do you mean?  
Bronwen still looked at Merlin and explained, "This was not a simple curse. It was a curse hidden behind another curse. The first one may have made the poison worse, but the second was there to reverse any healing magic. I didn't believe until now that this was even possible. How much magic is needed to cast such a curse and to include the distance if necessary, I don't even want to imagine. Remarkable on the other hand is the recovery time of the magician. Look at him now. It is hardly recognizable anymore that he was only a few moments away from death. I wouldn't be surprised either if his eyes were shining golden and he woke up in a few moments.  
As if by an invisible sign, Merlin's eyes actually began to flutter, and a golden glow could not be missed.  
Gareth, who stood silently in the corner the whole time, made big eyes. So Merlin was a magician after all. This meant that his hunch was right and that Merlin had stopped him from killing. He was even more pleased that Merlin would apparently recover. Gareth was now glad that he had the presence of mind to close the door behind everyone. He couldn't remember if it was bad to be a wizard or not, but not everyone needed to know about Merlin right away.  
Merlin slowly opened his eyes and croaked: "What ... ser."  
Immediately a cup of cold, fresh water was held to his lips and he swallowed eagerly.  
"More," he demanded, but the cup was removed. He turned towards the missing cup and looked into two icy blue eyes.  
"Hello, magician, I am Tea. What do your friends call you?", said a Girl with angel curls.  
Merlin shook her head in confusion and wanted to wake up from this strange dream.  
"Wait, you don't know the name of my wizard," Arthur asked irritated.  
"Yes, I know his name is Emrys, but not what his friends call him."  
Arthur still frowned and said, "His name is not Emrys, but Merlin."  
Merlin sighed, his dream turned out strange but felt too realistic and said, "Both are true. I am Merlin, but the druids have always called me Emrys. Morgana is very afraid of Emrys, because he is supposed to be her downfall. She thinks he is an old man with a long white beard and that should stay that way. When she learns the truth, she will stop at nothing to kill me."  
"She almost did, too," said Tea cheerfully.  
"She almost did?" Merlin asked uncertainly.  
"Yes, and her actions are cunning as well as insidious. The poison was amplified, but the second curse was meant to reverse any healing magic. You had a mark on your arm, which we unfortunately had to burn out. Your magic intuitively tried to heal you, but the curse reversed the effect," Bronwen explained.  
Merlin looked at the burned area on his arm that was already healing. He turned to Gaius: "Did Uther have such a mark?"  
Gaius made big eyes and took a moment to think about the question and its meaning. "I am not sure, but it is conceivable that the medallion he wore shortly before his death had the same effect as this time. Could the curse also be linked to a medallion," said Gaius and addressed the question to Bronwen.  
"For those who can perform this spell without physical contact, it is easy for them to curse a medallion like this."  
Merlin had to digest this information first. He whispered softly: "Then perhaps I am not to blame for Uther's death after all."  
"What are you saying, Merlin?" asked Gwen in disbelief.  
Merlin glanced briefly into her eyes until he said: "Whenever I had to actively intervene to protect my true identity, I took an aging potion.  
"You were the sorcerer who saved me from execution?" she said when she came to this realization.  
"Yes, I created the sorcerer Dragoon the Great to use my magic powers without being recognized."  
Merlin turned to Arthur and pleaded: "Arthur, please believe me that I was only trying to save your father. The spell should have healed him and yet his condition deteriorated so severely that he died. You cannot imagine how desperate I was. I was absolutely convinced that I could save your father. I imagined how I could tell you one day that I possessed magic and that magic is not evil by nature.  
Arthur could only stare at Merlin with a blank stare. He had just felt that he knew Merlin's secret now, and the other secrets associated with it. He did not know what to say. Could he believe Merlin? Uther had always taken a firm stand against the sorcerers during his lifetime. Wouldn't it be almost understandable if Merlin hadn't saved him, but still helped him? Arthur remembered a conversation with Gaius, who had assured him that the sorcerer had not killed Uther, but simply could not save him.  
Tea noticed the despair in Merlin and said boldly, "Comfort yourself, Merlin. Bronwen almost made the same mistake with you and her healing magic would have been your death sentence. And believe me, Bronwen is very knowledgeable in this area," Tea said gently.  
"You really tried to save my father?" Arthur asked suspiciously.  
"Yes, what else could I have done?" replied Merlin.  
"Let him die! He's been tracking and killing sorcerers for decades. What reason did you have to save him?"  
Merlin looked at Arthur silently for a long time until he said, "Because of you."  
"Because of me?" Arthur asked, puzzled.  
"What would I gain by your father dying at the hands of a sorcerer? This incident only rekindled the hatred against the sorcerers - that is exactly what I wanted to prevent. It has not always been easy to trust that one day you might become king and Uther's reign would finally end, but I believe in you and that gave me the strength to wait.  
Tea was getting bored with this conversation, so she interrupted the silence with these words: "So, King, we have our promise kept, your wizard is saved. What will happen to us now?"  
Arthur stared at this cute-looking girl for a moment. How could it be that she was apparently not afraid of him, he was king after all, powerful, and in the past, girls like her were also mercilessly burned at the stake? Arthur rather said to himself: "How could she actually know so exactly what to do?"  
"You've just had a vision, haven't you?" Mordred expressed his suspicion.  
"Yes, actually, sometimes I don't have a single one for months, and then at a fork in destiny, they often pile up. In my vision, I only saw the mark for a moment and my feeling told me that it had to disappear. Since I am not so fond of knives and blood, the flame seemed more appropriate."  
Everyone stared at her, but she just shrugged her shoulders.  
Gareth did not feel comfortable in his skin. It was his fault that the king and Merlin had been poisoned. Furthermore, he felt like a forbidden observer. He didn't understand the pre-commandation properly and even less the friendship between the king and Merlin. Were they actually friends or just servants and king? Did one of them perhaps see an enemy before him? He saw Merlin staring longingly at the cup of fresh water. Gareth handed it to him and Merlin thanked the boy. "Please don't thank me. It was my fault that you were poisoned," Gareth said quietly and depressed.  
Merlin paused briefly in his movement but then took the cup to his mouth and drank it empty. He tried not to drink quite so greedily, but he probably didn't quite succeed, as Tea giggled.  
Sir Gwaine addressed the word to Gareth: "Do not blame yourself for this, for it is not yours - on the contrary. You have given us a first clue on which to proceed. Morgana probably has an ally in the castle and we should find out who that is as soon as possible.  
Meanwhile, Arthur tried to sort his thoughts and organize the questions and problems in his head, but he was too upset and looked for Gwen's gaze. The latter recognized Arthur's condition and gave the following orders himself: "Sir Gwaine, find Sir Leon, exchange the current state of investigation and search for the girl described. I suspect that Morgana is not in the castle, but has put an ally up to it. I further oblige everyone in this room to maintain silence about this incident. Say that Arthur only exaggerated and that he was merely nauseous from too much wine."  
Gwen waited for an objection from Arthur, who just nodded in annoyance. "Be silent about any magical intervention. Merlin, of course, provided me with medicine, but he was so reckless and also secretly tasted the wine, so he had to sleep off his intoxication. He must be pilloried for his behavior tomorrow for half an hour."  
Tea shook her head laughing and said beamingly: "The suggestion is ingenious. Who would believe that Merlin is a great sorcerer who has just saved the king's life again when he is thrown out with rotten vegetables as thanks? Would it perhaps be possible, if I could listen to the conversation between you and Merlin, if you thanked and apologized at the same time? And an answer to my previous question, I'd love to have. Will you comply with our request or not?"  
Gwen asked, without hesitation, "What is your request?"  
Tea looked radiantly at the queen and asked hopefully, "We would like to live peacefully here in your kingdom, if that would be all right?  
Arthur watched his wife and sighed. He already knew what she had decided. He was not quite sure, but he knew that his queen was not only fair and intelligent, but also had a feeling for people.  
"Yes, Gwen, the two of them are allowed to live here and will be accommodated in the castle for the time being."  
Gwen smiled at her husband and gave him a kiss. Tea was beside herself with joy, hugged Bronwen stormy and babbled, "Did you hear that, Bronwen? We may stay! How much I wished that this vision would come true and not just appear so good. As a thank you for the trust you have placed in us, we will never leave your or Merlin's side again. Ooh, this is going to be fun. Watching a king is certainly exciting, but watching Merlin is the best - who knows what I can learn there? May I accompany you, Merlin? You have visions too, don't you?"  
Tea saw the hesitation and the pain, even the short glance in Mordred's direction did not escape her.  
"Tea, I thank you and of course Bronwen first of all for saving me. Without you, I would probably be dead. It is an honor if you would like to accompany me, but I don't think that this is very exciting will. In this castle I do the work of the royal servant. I don't have many books about magic and sorcery. Other than being friends with a dragon, I can't imagine many exciting things you might otherwise see."  
Bronwen got big eyes. "Dragon? You're friends with a dragon!?"  
Tea bounced up and down in glee at the news. "Believe me, Merlin, playing with a dragon is an incredible experience, but it won't be the only one you won't forget.  
Even if Arthur was a little hurt in his pride that Tea Merlin apparently found more exciting than him, the King, he could only agree with her. He would probably not forget his encounter with the dragons so quickly.  
Gaius cleared his throat. "I suggest that we no longer besiege the royal chambers and go about our normal daily business, so that we give the impression that everything seems to be fine so far. In addition, not only Merlin, but also the king should be allowed some rest, although I would suggest a change of place. It looks very funny how Merlin is lying in bed next to you, King Arthur.  
Everyone except Merlin and Arthur seemed to find Gaius' last sentence amusing. With a nudge, Merlin suddenly fell out of bed and looked baffled at laughing faces. He stood up slowly grinning and let himself sink back onto the additional mattress, exhausted.  
"Sir Percival, accompany Bronwen and Tea to their rooms. Sir Gwaine visits Sir Leon as arranged. Gareth, run to the kitchen first and get something to eat and drink. Please bring the food to the throne room. Also provide Bronwen, Tea and Merlin with food and drink. Make sure that the King's cook prepares the food herself. I will go with Gwen to the throne room and prepare the next council meeting. Sir Mordred will stay here and make sure Merlin doesn't trip over his own feet," said the king in his usual commanding tone.  
Occasionally a gurgling could be heard. Merlin merely stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes exhausted. He did not open them either when Tea asked, "King Arthur, I may stay with Merlin now, may I not?  
The king's answer was already lost on Merlin, because his eyes were closing with tiredness.


	21. Dark Prophecy

Meanwhile, Morgana was beside herself with rage and exhaustion. She was so sure it would work this time. She had already seen herself on the throne because either Arthur or Gwen had to be dead, or both. However, she could not say when she realized that the curse missed its target after all. To amplify the poison by such a curse had been only a small thing for her. It was much more difficult to hide the other curse underneath and to activate it finally only later, when the curse had bound itself to a person. But something must have gone wrong again. She had noticed how the curse had actively bound itself to a life. The activation had cost her a very large amount of energy. But much worse was the energy needed to maintain the curse. However, she never expected that this part of her plan would be so exhausting. Morgana was on the verge of solving the curse herself, as not much would have been left and she would have collapsed from weakness - or worse. She was absolutely sure that Emrys had his fingers in the pie again. Who else was able to stand against her magic and seemingly dominate? This thought almost drove her insane. No matter what plan she had, they were all thwarted and she was absolutely sure that Emrys was to blame. How could it be otherwise? Her downfall was Emry's. She believed in this vision. Again and again she followed it in her sleep: How she lay exhausted or badly wounded on a battlefield and an old man with a long white beard asked her if it was worth it. She shivered at the thought of this nightmare.  
A raven just came flying at her. She took the message off his leg and hastily tore open the small piece of parchment. She flew over the message and let it go up in flames in anger. Then she heard that Aithusa had probably woken up because of the noise. She had noticed that the Dragon Lady had been away longer than usual, but Morgana hadn't been able to take care of it, since her plan was just in the crucial phase. She walked sluggishly and trembling towards the Dragon Lady and slowly leaned against her neck. Morgana was too exhausted to notice that the Dragon Lady was trying to shut off her thoughts.  
A short time later the High Priestess had fallen asleep and the Dragon Lady was watching her closely. Aithusa was glad that Morgana was apparently not happy and that her plan had failed. She felt bad about it, but she simply didn't understand Morgana's motivation to harm Arthur and Merlin. Besides, Morgana's touch felt rather cold and energy-consuming, whereas the touch of the Dragonlord was warm and invigorating. On the other hand, communication with Morgana was easier for her, at least most of the time. She often perceived a darkness in Morgana, from which she intuitively closed herself off and then no mental contact was possible for the time being. Aithusa was not sure what the next steps would be. She had to make a decision, which unfortunately she slowly realized, but she perceived the relationship to Morgana as the connection to Merlin, and one of the two would probably lose her sooner or later. She still had no idea which variant would be more painful. So she kept on thinking and noticing the cold that emanated from Morgana, but she didn't dare retreat from her.

Merlin was awakened by a whisper. He didn't feel as weak as he did when he first spoke with Tea. It was exactly her voice that had woken him. Only now did he realize that Tea had probably addressed him in his thoughts. Unfortunately, he could remember his dream much too well. By now he had almost gotten used to seeing Arthur die over and over again in his dreams. But it always took a moment to get the despair and anger under control and to remember that Arthur was still alive. Still' - exactly the word made Merlin sigh with resignation.  
Mordred and Tea watched Merlin and heard his reaction. "A vision or a dream?" she asked curiously.  
Since Merlin was not yet fully awake, he replied without thinking, "Yes, but a vision that resembles a nightmare.  
"Tell me about it," she asked.  
Merlin closed her eyes and spoke softly: "I don't remember for how many years I have been living this dream over and over again. It's exactly the same dream every time. I see like Arthur...," he faltered, opened his eyes, and looked not into Tea's face, but directly into Mordred's, and became as white as a sheet. "You!," he said.  
"You see me in the dream, don't you?" Mordred asked, laboriously dominated.  
Tea looked at Merlin and said softly, "Tell him.  
Merlin shook his head and pressed his lips together.  
"Tell me Merlin! That is the reason why you distrust me, am I right? You saw a vision and you think you understand it and because of this vision you hate me," exclaimed Mordred.  
"I think I understand it?," Merlin almost shouted. He just couldn't hold on to himself anymore and the anger and despair broke through. "I dream again and again of you piercing Arthur with a deadly sword at the Battle of Camlann. Tell me what I should misunderstand about this and above all, how can I prevent this vision? You wouldn't believe how many times I've been advised not to save you or Morgana, or even kill you both. I just couldn't believe that Morgana would turn evil. Neither could I believe this with a little Druid boy. Even the following words of Kilgharrah 'The ancient prophecies speak of an alliance between Mordred and Morgana, united in evil' could not convince me. I do not need to tell you how much Morgana has changed and that she is evil now. I didn't want to admit it at first. Whether it was a fake smile or the joy in her eyes when Arthur or Gwen suffered I didn't want to see it - I just didn't want to believe that Morgana, who possesses magic and therefore was in a similar situation as me, decided to act with all her might, even dark magic, against her own half-brother and wish him death or worse. She was my friend. I saved her not only once. Nonetheless, not only once did I have the chance to prevent Arthur's curse, but I couldn't let her die then. I simply could not. Do you know how much suffering or death she has brought upon Camelot since then? How many lives have been lost? How many have suffered as a result? Suffered because I wouldn't listen, because I was mentally too weak. I have been warned so many times that Morgana is turning to evil and that this alliance between you and Morgana is Arthur's downfall. Tell me, Mordred, what shall I do with this vision that will not let me go? Morgana was my friend - I couldn't let her die or kill her, but I had no idea what the price would be. I don't know if I would have decided differently or if I would be a different person now because of this decision, but what good are these Thoughts? I cannot change the past and still this 'would have' and this 'if' torments me. And yes, I have been unfair to you ever since, and have watched your every step carefully, so that I do not miss - as I did with Morgana - when the time comes when you apparently are no longer on Arthur's side. This may seem unfair to you, but I just didn't think at first that the prophecy could be true until Morgana fell more and more into darkness and despair. I know that Arthur trusts you, and I certainly won't tell him that you have magic and that there is a prophecy in which you inflict an absolutely deadly sword thrust on him and that he pierces you as well. Do you think it gives me satisfaction to see you die every time? How much do you think I am burdened by my possible inability to avert the vision? Believe me, I have tried to avert visions, and yet they have occurred exactly as I saw them, even though the situations were often different than I expected. Sometimes, by trying to prevent the vision, I have just made it possible! Every day I see you and you remind me of this damn nightmare. I can't deny that I have been toying with the idea of killing you for a short time, but maybe this very act is the reason why you ally yourself with Morgana. Besides, I just don't think I'm capable of murdering you behind your back, even though it might save many lives. You do not deserve to die. How could I? Instead of harming Arthur or betrayal, you stand behind him and protect him with your life. And still I see again the scene from the vision of Arthur recognizing you, hesitating because you were his friend and you use this weakness to ram a sword into his body. "Tell me, what shall I do with this knowledge?"

Mordred was upside down. He saw that tears had formed in Merlin's eyes and were running down his cheeks. Whether he was crying out of sadness, helplessness or anger, he could not tell. He did not know what to think. This prophecy explained Merlin's dismissive behavior, his doubts and mistrust. He could not imagine what event would cause him to turn against Arthur. And already his own doubts crept into his thoughts. Maybe Merlin was right and he was Arthur's downfall. Who knew what would happen in the future? Even if he couldn't imagine betraying Arthur now or even killing him himself, maybe Arthur deserved it. No, this thought was absurd. Arthur was sometimes an idiot, but he was just, fair and loyal. He cared about the well-being of his subjects. He questioned himself and was open to change. A perfect example was Mordred himself. He probably didn't have a drop of blue blood in his veins and yet he was a knight of Camelot. Also the choice of his wife said a lot about how Arthur felt about love, outdated traditions and gaining power. Arthur was not a tyrant like his father. He could have gained more power and land or at least one more ally with his marriage and still he married Gwen, the daughter of a blacksmith. Arthur did not deserve to die at all and his kingdom had the chance through him to make up for the injustice he had done to the sorcerers. He believed Merlin that the vision did not leave much room for interpretation. In simplistic terms, it was said that as long as he lived, he posed a deadly danger to Arthur. Did he want to be responsible for the death of his king or his friend? He could only lose, because his own death was also predicted in the vision. He drew his dagger and, lost in thought, stroked the blade. Actually, not much would change if he would not live anymore. Maybe the knights and certainly Arthur would mourn for him, but otherwise he was alone. He had fallen in love with a girl a long time ago, but he didn't even know if she was still alive. He stared at the dagger and did not really know how to sort the chaos in his mind. Merlin watched Mordred with a frown. It escaped his notice that Tea was sitting quietly in the corner the whole time, smiling contentedly. She twisted more curls in her hair with her finger. She seemed almost bored by the conversation, as if she already seemed to know it.  
The movement as Mordred gripped the dagger tightly and aimed it at his own heart with a quick and powerful movement did not escape Merlin's attention. Without thinking about it further, Merlin's eyes glowed golden and the dagger from Mordred's hand and the sword at his hip flew towards Merlin and stopped just before him, allowing him to grab it easily. Merlin still stared in shock at the dagger in his hand and strengthened the grip, the other hand opening and Mordred's sword rattling to the ground.  
Even Mordred could not take his eyes off Merlin as he stared at his dagger in his hand. Several minutes passed without anyone saying a word or making a move. Until Merlin suddenly struck the dagger handle several times against his forehead. The first blow may have been a feathery movement, but with each additional blow, the strength increased. Merlin didn't notice that his forehead had already cracked open and drops of blood were running into his eyebrows. Mordred was finally able to free himself from his paralysis, leaping up and this time wresting his dagger from Merlin's hands. Both young men looked into each other's eyes in confusion and neither could find words for the situation.  
Tea, however, turned up her nose at the blood. She did not like blood. No, she really did not like that. She thought that she was no longer needed here and thought it was a good idea to look for Bronwen or maybe Arthur - she didn't really know that. "Don't think just because Bronwen is a healer that I'm going to bandage that," she said and pointed in disgust at Merlin's forehead. Thereupon she stalked out the door and left two speechless wizards behind.  
Merlin was the first to find his voice again and whispered, "Why did I do that? It would be the guarantee that the vision would not come true, wouldn't it? But when I realized your intention, there was only one thing I could think, and that was 'NO'. Regardless of the possible consequences, your death seemed wrong to me." Merlin shook his head to clear it up. "I can't stop you anytime, but you should be able to think about this conversation in peace and sleep on it at least one night. Maybe you can think of a solution that does not involve your suicide or death. I am so tired of distrusting you. Maybe together we can save Arthur from this vision and if this decision is a mistake, I can't change it. I have no strength left. Even if I act with good intentions, this does not automatically guarantee me a good outcome, and I am well aware that trust can be a double-edged sword.  
Many minutes passed before Mordred also found his voice again. "Thank you, Merlin. I thank you not only for having just saved me from a hasty action, but also for giving me a chance to prevent this vision from happening. Has it never occurred to you that I too feel the desire to fight off this vision," he asked Merlin reproachfully. He could only stare at Mordred in surprise and speechless.


	22. Time to make some changes

Gwen sat with Arthur in the throne room and both studied the laws and judgments concerning sorcery. It was a very tedious business, because the texts were full of hate triads and spurns of the magicians. It was not the first time that Gwen suppressed a shake of the head or a horrified groan. She did not know until now what the exact laws of the kingdom were on this subject, and she was more than shocked. It almost seemed to her that execution at the stake was one of the most merciful ways of killing. Other methods of punishing the sorcerers were one more brutal and inhuman than the other. She felt that they did exactly the right thing, because according to these laws she did not want to react with Arthur a kingdom. The more judgements she read, the more desperate she became. Gwen didn't know until yesterday that not only suspicious adults were executed, but that under this law even a sorcerer's infant deserved to die immediately, and that any assistance, however much it may be to feed a sorcerer in a tavern, should also be punished by death. After a few hours, Gwen could not read a single sentence, for she could not bring herself to read it. Arthur also stopped reading when he realized that his wife was just staring straight ahead.  
"Gwen?," he asked quietly. Since his wife did not respond, he touched her lightly on the shoulder.  
Gwen shrugged violently, "Huh, Arthur, sorry, I wasn't with myself just now," she explained.  
"What's going on inside you?" he asked further.  
Shaking her head, she replied, "I knew magic was forbidden, but I had no idea of the extent of the hatred that was involved. These legal texts lack any logical basis. The judgments are so far away from justice and reasonableness that I cannot find words for them. The absurd thing is that most of the people in the castle, including both of us, would have to be executed simply because of the fact that Merlin is a magician. Who knows who else possesses magic without us knowing? And I mean that without fear - I am simply curious." She saw that Arthur was in pain and put one hand on his arm. "What's on your mind, Arthur?" she asked.  
Arthur pulled a face in pain and shame and looked past his wife when he replied, "I haven't done anything about it all these years. I have killed magicians without questioning the order. I do not want to say how many there were, what gender they were, or even how young some of them were. I really believed that magic is abysmally evil. My experiences in the past have always confirmed me in this, but I don't know if I didn't make it too easy for myself. I did not look for counter-arguments, nor did I question whether the magicians had a good reason to want to kill my father. And now I sit here and read all these senseless condemnations and have an answer to the question: Yes, they did not have only one reason. There are hundreds, if not thousands of reasons in these judgments. What kind of king am I that in my kingdom on sorcery still officially stands the execution? Yes, yes, I know. I have not had a magician executed since my reign, but does that really make me better than my father?" Gwen shook Arthur slightly and forced him to look at her. "Arthur, you are so much a better man than your father in so many ways. Fortunately, you do not have a blind hatred for wizards and you try to understand Merlin, for example. I have come to realize that magic is not evil, only its use can be used for evil. I am very sure that the law must be changed. It may meet with resistance from some, because in their minds hatred and fear prevails. But we can overcome this together. Your knights will also help you. Even Sir Leon, who served your father for decades, questions his view on magic. We probably won't convince all of them, but most of them will be behind it after a period of getting used to it. Your people will also be relieved to lose the fear of having accidentally helped a wizard. Just imagine the distrust towards any stranger and the conflict that many tavern owners will surely face. They also live off the strangers and travelers and can never be sure that a wizard was not among them after all and they must fear the death penalty for this. And this is exactly the point where I would approach this matter. Repeated small changes cause less resistance overall. We could decide today in the next council meeting that this law should be changed. For example, the wording could be as follows: 'The harboring and feeding of sorcerers will result in an interrogation, but will not be punished further. If this wizard attempts to harm Camelot, he must be reported immediately and any violation will be punished appropriately. Gwen's eyes glowed with excitement.  
Arthur took time to reflect on her words, smiled and kissed his wife on the forehead with the following words: "I am a happy man. My wife is not only beautiful, but she is gifted with common sense."  
The moment was interrupted by his stomach growling and he smiled apologetically. Quietly they ate a small meal that Gareth had brought before.

Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine came into the throne room a short time later and bowed. "My King, the woman described by Gareth was seen, but no one knew exactly who she was. She has no employment in the kitchen. I am inconsolable that we have not yet found the culprit," Sir Leon reported.  
"Thank you, Sir Leon, we will give each guard a description of the woman and they are to report it immediately. Gwen and I are currently reading legal texts and judgments concerning sorcery," Arthur began and reported on Gwen's suggestion.  
Gwaine grinned widely as the language fell on the taverns. "Yes, that's good practice. We will adjust the laws bit by bit and people can slowly get used to the fact that magic is not generally bad and is ostracized. At some point, maybe knights with magic will become a familiar sight and we won't be so helplessly dependent on Merlin's intervention. Maybe he won't be the only magician who uses his power in the background to protect us.  
The rattling of the throne room door delayed further discussion. The doors swung open and Tea was stopped by a guard. She frustratedly blew a curl from her face with the following words: "King Arthur, could you please tell your guards that I have permission to visit you.  
The adults looked at the girl speechlessly. As the king nodded at the guard, Tea let go and closed the double door again.  
"Phew! Thank you very much. Merlin and Mordred finally talked to each other, and I was getting pretty bored with Bronwen, and I had promised to accompany Merlin and you so often,as it is just possible. By the way, I have brought you a gift because you are a really generous host. I know it's not worth much, but I found it very beautiful."  
Tea joyfully presented the small stone slab to the king and looked so pleased with her gift that Arthur marveled at the green and white pattern. He wanted to put the plate on the table next to him, but the girl suddenly looked so sad that he decided against it and let the small gift disappear into the inside of his coat. "Thank you for your gift, I have never seen such a piece of stone before. To prevent the stone disk from accidentally falling off the table, I will carry it with me today and bring it to my chamber later," said the king with a smile.  
Tea beamed all over his face and then frowned. "Can she not fall out of your coat either?"  
Arthur scratched his head and Gwen came to his aid. With a quick flick of the wrist, the disc was stowed in the breast pocket of his shirt. That wasn't very comfortable for him, but that way he couldn't forget it and take it out of his shirt before he took it off. Besides, he didn't want to be disturbed by a piece of stone - what did it look like before his knights? Out of the corner of his eye he saw the first knights who were already entering the throne room. Tea, too, saw the men enter the hall and also noticed the surprised looks that lay upon her, so she quickly whispered to the king: "What is your reason for letting me watch the council meeting?  
This question was quite justified. What could he tell his knight? Unfortunately, it was still too early for you to tell the truth, but he didn't want to lie either. He noticed that his concentration had decreased considerably, apparently a little rest would have been a good idea for him after all, but he had to grit his teeth now. Unfortunately he did not have a good idea for the question.

When all the knights had gathered, Gwen opened the council meeting: "Greetings, Knights of Camelot. Be lenient with your King, he has not yet fully recovered." She gave Sir Gwaine a striking wink, and not only a knight could not help but smile. Arthur didn't like it because he feared he would appear weak, but blaming it on the wine was a good excuse for the time being. "I would also like to introduce you to little Teaghan. Even if Gaius does not want to admit it, but unfortunately he is no longer the youngest. The healer Bronwen has been staying in our castle since yesterday and Teaghan belongs to her. We hope that we can offer them a job in the castle so that Gaius will be relieved. I demand of you all to keep absolute silence towards Gaius about Bronwen replacing the old healer. Since it is already known that Merlin cannot attend the council meeting due to his own fault, Tea will represent him today. We hope that tomorrow he will receive the receipt at the pillory with rotten vegetables".  
There was laughter. Gwen leaned over to Tea and said not very quietly, "Don't worry, Tea, it just meant refilling the king's wine, but preferably not too much.  
Laughter was heard again. Tea nodded understandingly and smiled as well.

"Let today's council meeting begin! Does anyone have a specific request?" Gwen ended her opening address.  
Sir Fewon immediately spoke: "King Arthur, are you all right? Was it really just the wine that got to you?"  
Arthur looked in the direction of the knight and replied: "It is embarrassing to admit, but I guess I had an upset stomach. I should definitely pay more attention to what I ingest in the near future. But I feel much better and after a good night's sleep I feel great again, thanks for asking. Are there any other concerns?"  
Sir Fewon spoke again: "If I may ask, my king, what are your thoughts on sorcery?"  
"This is not an easy question to answer simply 'yes' or 'no'. I have begun to question my father's laws. This does not mean that I suddenly abolish all laws and dictate my own indiscriminately. My wife and I began to study the laws and judgments concerning sorcery, one law in particular caught our attention. Residents of the kingdom must face the death penalty if they help a sorcerer even unknowingly. This also applies, for example, to harboring or feeding magicians. But how should an owner of a tavern or inn be able to verify that he is a magician? This is probably only possible if the owner of the tavern or inn has magic himself. My subjects live with the constant fear of having accidentally helped a wizard and receiving the death penalty for it. But they must make a living, otherwise they and their families would starve. I would like to discuss the proposal first and then vote to change this law. The discussion is now open..." Arthur could hardly finish the sentence when a heated discussion was already raging. It was difficult for him to follow the various fragments of the sentence and to absorb the atmosphere, as his head began to hurt. He looked at his wife, who listened intently to the discussion. Here and there she frowned and smiled briefly.  
Arthur again concentrated on the discussion, when suddenly Sir Fewon screamed red with anger: "Magicians are evil! Helping them makes those affected just as complicit".  
Arthur fixed Sir Fewon and quietly asked into the resulting silence: "Sir Fewon, correct me if I am wrong, but you have a preference for berry wine, don't you?  
Sir Fewon did not understand the change of subject, but nodded.  
"This would mean that you deserve the death penalty if, for example, one of your wine sellers has magic. After all, you bought goods from him and thus supported him with a few coins.  
In the meantime, the knight's head was swollen dark red and a vein was throbbing at his neck in anger. "Yes, then I deserve it. Where would we be if we allowed the unwitting help of sorcerers today? Then in a week's time, cursed magic will be allowed throughout the kingdom, won't it?"  
The other discussions had long since ceased. Arthur looked at Sir Fewon defiantly and said softly, "And if it were so?"  
Sir Fewon muttered, "She was right. She was right. I can't believe it."  
Arthur glanced briefly in Sir Fewon's direction, but was distracted by Sir Percival, who turned to the other knights: "I fear that not many people will remain in the kingdom if this law is rigorously enforced. How would one know whether a stranger or perhaps a well-known person possesses magic? And even the phrase "any help" could cover almost anything, from a friendly smile over a jug of beer to the planning of a murder."  
"Thank you, Sir Percival. First, I would like to vote on whether or not this bill needs to be changed. All in favor of amendment, please raise your hand."  
Everyone in the room raised their hands except Sir Fewon. He remained motionless in his place and seemed to no longer follow the conversation.

"Well, that settles that. Now it is a matter of determining the content and the exact wording of the legal text. I have a proposal for this, which I would like to put up for discussion: 'The harboring and feeding of magicians leads to an interrogation, but will not be punished further. If this wizard attempts to harm Camelot in a demonstrable manner, this must be reported immediately and any offence will be punished appropriately.  
Sir Leon frowned and remarked: "The wording 'any help' should appear in the text and the inn could serve as an example.  
The knights continued to discuss the specific wording. Arthur had to suppress a yawn. He found this council meeting extremely tiring. He was not interested in the exact words. It was mainly important what content should emerge from them. On the other hand, he also did not want the law to be twisted and yet again innocent people to die. He went to see Sir Fewon, since he still hadn't gotten out of his paralysis. Even when Arthur approached him, he did not move. He grabbed him by the arm when he suddenly jumped up. When Arthur then saw a knife rushing towards his chest, he could only follow the knife tip, which ate into his shirt. He heard a scratching sound that hurt his ears, but he could not identify it. His thoughts were still sluggish, and he could only marginally hear the chaos that suddenly broke out in the throne room. He actually expected to see blood flowing from his chest, or at least to feel pain besides a brief squeeze.  
Sir Leon had immediately disarmed and immobilized Sir Fewon. He babbled to himself the whole time: "This cannot be allowed. That must not happen. Magic is evil. It is evil! I saved my family from this before it was too late. It can't be done. They can't have died for nothing. It just can't be. I saved them!"  
Gwen was by Arthur's side seconds later, examining his chest. But she found no wound. Everyone had clearly seen that Sir Fewon had stabbed him without hindrance, so he must have a wound.  
"Magic has saved the king," was suddenly whispered.  
Arthur noticed someone tugging at his cloak and he looked into Teas satisfied smile.  
"Too bad about the stone disc. Maybe I'll find a new one someday. Will you take better care of it then?"  
Gwen slapped her hand in front of her mouth after she pulled out the broken stone disk in the breast pocket of Arthur's shirt. "You have ... saved my life ... with your gift ... your stone disk ...", the king stated chopped off.  
A murmur went through the throne room. Tea now beamed all over his face and said, "Yes, the gift was apparently more valuable than I thought. I am relieved that nothing happened to you. May I now attend council meetings more often? They are not so boring after all."  
The knights didn't know whether to laugh it off or shake their heads. Gwen crouched down in front of Tea, gave her a warm embrace and said, "You are welcome anytime, my dear Tea with the icy blue eyes.  
Tea gladly returned the hug and said, "Thank you, my Queen. Is the vote finally taking place or will these discussions go on for hours?"  
Gwen had to hold back a smile. Arthur replied, "Tea, you are right that further discussion will not change the actual outcome. Gwen, you know my opinion. Can you amend the proposed law accordingly and then call for a vote?" "And you, my dear husband, go to Gaius as a precaution and have yourself examined anyway," Gwen asked. Seeing the contradiction in Arthur's eyes, she added: "Please, I would be more comfortable with this thought.  
Arthur sighed and was actually glad to finally be able to escape from the throne room. He noticed that the shock from the attempted murder was subsiding, he was struggling with fatigue again, and his concentration was failing again. He smiled and gave his queen a kiss, then the king said goodbye with the words: "How could I refuse this request? The next council meeting will exceptionally take place tomorrow at the same time".  
The king stood up and was about to leave when a smaller hand crept into his. He looked at the foreign hand in bewilderment and understood that Tea wanted to go with him, holding hands. Since the girl was so radiant, he automatically smiled back and continued on his way without further comment. He was quite sure that all eyes in the throne room followed this scene. Tea began with, "Are we going to visit Merlin now?" as the doors of the throne room closed behind the two of them.  
Many stared after the king in the castle as he walked to his chamber with a girl with angel curls on her hand. It was not surprising that the rumor mill was bubbling. The rumor that the brat had saved Arthur, however, persisted. Some rumored something about magic, others could deny it with the sober explanation that a piece of stone would have prevented worse wounds. It was also rumored that a knight of Camelot, a nobleman from a famous house, had attacked the king himself. Some suspected a conspiracy, others saw evil magic behind it. The truth, however, was difficult to discern from the rumors.


	23. lets handle this

Arthur stepped into his room with Tea and trimmed. He had often experienced that there was a certain mistrust between Merlin and Sir Mordred, although he could not explain where it came from. But the present scene was even stranger. Mordred was in the process of treating a wound on Merlin's forehead, and there was no distrust to be felt. He had the feeling that something connected the two but he couldn't grasp what it was. Maybe the two of them could finally settle an old argument. Maybe it was also because Mordred had finally learned of Merlin's magic, but Merlin's wound was strange.  
"Merlin, what happened to your head?"  
Merlin looked at Arthur with a grin and said, "For once, I wanted to prove you right and be a clumsy fool."  
"Merlin!" Arthur rebelled.  
Tea and Mordred giggled, with Mordred trying to cover it up with a cough. Merlin winced as Mordred bandaged the wound.  
He said, "Gaius should definitely look at the wound."  
Tea added: "And the queen has asked you, King Arthur, to visit Gaius as well."  
Arthur tried to give Tea an evil spark, but he did not succeed properly.  
"Are you worse again?" Merlin asked alarmed.  
With a gesture of his hand, Arthur ordered Tea to let him speak. "There must have been a misunderstanding. Be that as it may. Tea has probably saved me from a painful wound with her gift," Arthur began to explain and summarized the scene in the throne room for Mordred and Merlin. Both were shocked to hear that a knight of Camelot had attacked Arthur because the king wanted to relax the laws concerning magic. Both sorcerers looked at each other and nodded in agreement. In thought, Mordred said to Merlin: "I will do everything in my power to save Arthur from this vision or any other harm...".  
Arthur interrupted the conversation with the following order: "Sir Mordred, please tell Gaius that if he has time, he should come to my chamber. Furthermore, post at least one Knight of the Round Table outside the door. I hate to admit it, but I need some sleep. Although I hate to burden Gwen with this, but someone should investigate the old judgements on the family of the knight Fewon. Maybe then his mumbling will make more sense. Likewise, Gaius should look after him and judge whether a curse might not have been the reason for his deed. Tea, if you don't mind, can you let Bronwen know that she could assist Gaius in this task?

After a brief moment, Arthur was alone with Merlin. "Are you really all right?" Merlin asked again.  
"Yes, but I really need some sleep. I can hardly keep my eyes open, and between you and me, you don't look very rested either."  
Since Merlin could not contradict this, he lay down on the extra mattress and closed his eyes. He heard the king's regular breathing, but he didn't seem to be able to sleep either.  
"Merlin?," Arthur asked quietly.  
"Yes?," Merlin replied just as quietly asking.  
"Shouldn't you sleep?"  
"I could ask you the same question," Merlin said.  
"That's true, but I have a lot of thoughts going through my head right now. I owe my life this week not only to you, but also to Tea. Even though I probably don't say this enough, but I thank you, Merlin."  
He grinned all over his face, although his forehead wound made him flinch. "I told you I would be by your side, as always, to protect you.  
Arthur leaned back with these words. Yes, it seemed very familiar. He remembered the situation in which Merlin had said this to him. As Merlin noticed Arthur's frown, he added: "Years ago, just before Cenred's army attacked and the castle prepared for a siege.  
"How is it that you remember it so well?" he asked in surprise.  
"I was just glad to be alive and able to protect you," Merlin explained, waiting for Arthur to realize. Merlin had to wait much longer than he had thought.

"My father was sick because of a curse and you were gone," it slowly dawned on him. Your defense was that you were dying."  
Merlin waited further and he saw it working in Arthur's head.  
"You told the truth. Am I right? "You would be in such a situation...didn't run away."  
Merlin nodded happily.  
"Tell me everything."  
"Very well, my King," Merlin teased and continued: "Uther was enchanted with a so-called mandrake, which only magicians can hear. In people without magic, this bores into the subconscious and makes them live through the worst nightmares and fears. I followed Morgana one night. She met with Morgause and planned the downfall of Camelot. I could hear their conversation, but Morgana knew of my presence. They left me tied up there to die an agonizing death in revenge for trying to poison her sister Morgana years ago."  
"What is it?" Arthur couldn't believe what he heard.  
"Understand me. You were about to fall asleep and die. Only Morgana was unaffected by the sleeping spell at the time and the Knights of Medhir would have killed you otherwise. I could only decide between two alternatives: Either to let you die or to eliminate Morgana, the source of the spell. Morgause noticed Morgana dying and preferred to save her dying sister than to kill you. Do you think the decision was easy for me? I thought Morgana was my friend, and I betrayed her for your sake," said Merlin, quick-tempered.  
"But Morgana saved us from the army of the dead later," Arthur asked after a while.  
Merlin snorted. "Like hell. Morgana was the reason why the knights were attacked by a second army in the first place. I tried to persuade her to stop it, but she wouldn't listen. She was so bitter that Uther would have her executed because of her powers that she decided to overthrow him - even though many men as well as women and children died for it. She felt like an outsider, had to hide who she was and should be ashamed of her powers. Since Uther hated everyone of her kind, he did not deserve any other behavior. It did not occur to her that she would have had the power to convince Uther of the opposite. You wouldn't believe how hard it was not to tell her that I could understand her situation so well because I have magic powers myself. May it be destiny, luck or chance that made me hesitate and not let her know my secret. I could hardly defend myself against her sword attacks and in an unobserved moment I resorted to my magic and let the ceiling collapse over her. With a sword stroke strengthened with magic, I cut the wand that was the origin of the spell".  
"You saved all of Camelot and Morgana, she..."  
"Yes, she wanted the downfall of Camelot, but she used the rescue to her advantage," Merlin said bitterly.  
"Why didn't you tell me this?" Arthur asked agitatedly.  
Merlin laughed without humour. "Why? Is it not obvious? I had tried to poison the king's ward. That was the truth of the matter. What do you think Uther would have done to me? Also, if it had not been for this circumstance, what would have happened to me if I had not dared to accuse Morgana, who is actually the daughter of Uther, of treason? I cling to my life, even if sometimes it doesn't seem like it.  
After a few minutes Arthur asked: "How did you actually escape the agonizing death Morgause had in mind for you? You used magic to free yourself, didn't you?"  
"No, it wasn't that easy. The bonds defied all my spells. I tried to fend off the Serkets, but I was hit by a poison thorn. So I called on Kilgharrah for help. I didn't think he would really come, but he did. He cast a spell on me that helped me defeat the poison. When I returned to Camelot, I destroyed the mandrake. The curse was broken, but your father was slow to recover."  
"You were indeed dying," Arthur needlessly observed.  
Merlin nodded.  
"I felt so merciful that I had not thrown you into the dungeon," Arthur remembered, shaking his head.  
"You forget that you gave me a lecture, that the future of the kingdom rested on your shoulders and asked me if I had the slightest idea what it would be like," Merlin continued to tease Arthur.  
Arthur buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. "What kind of a..." he began and Merlin added to his sentence with "...dumb-ass?  
Arthur did not respond to the teasing. "I really have the feeling of being blind and doing everything wrong," the young king confessed full of self-doubt.  
"No, that's not true. It probably saved my life that  
you were so blind to my magic. Besides, you're doing the right thing. You care about the welfare of the people and you are just and fair. Even if people are out to kill you, it doesn't mean that you do everything wrong, quite the contrary. Change always meets with resistance, especially when it is peppered with distorted ideas, hatred and fear. You cannot imagine how much it already means to me that you are considering relaxing or changing the laws of magic.

There was a knock at the door and Gaius entered with Tea. "My King, you sent for me?" began this. When he discovered Merlin's head bandage, he rushed to him immediately and poured questions over him.  
Merlin tried to reassure Gaius. "It's not serious. Just a superficial wound. Mordred has already cleaned it. It would be helpful, of course, if you could take a look at it tonight."  
Gaius was reassured and turned back to Arthur, who spoke: "Gaius, Gwen asked me to have you examine me briefly. She's afraid a small poisoned wound will be missed or something, and I'll die anyway." Arthur tried to play the whole thing down. However, he allowed Gaius to examine him without question.  
The court physician examined the king with a wrinkled forehead, which only smoothed when the healer could not find a scratch. "My king, I cannot find any injury, but you urgently need sleep and rest. Even if you think that the queen is exaggerating with her concern, she is quite right to be careful," Gaius replied.  
The king grumbled a bit, but nodded.  
"Come on, Tea, these two really need some rest and sleep," Gaius said invitingly.  
The bright girl nodded, waved at them beaming with joy and followed Gaius in good humor.  
Arthur shook his head and said, "What kind of a girl is that!  
Merlin again watched the king attentively and could not help but hear the following words: "You are aware that she is a seer and probably a very powerful one?  
Arthur only suppressed a shiver with difficulty. No, he had somehow suppressed this fact. But yes, he actually knew, and yet she seemed so lovely to him. Could it have been an act? Did she secretly have a plan? "What do you think of her?" Arthur asked cautiously.  
Merlin chose his words carefully: "She makes a very innocent and likeable impression. However, I advise not to be distracted by this. She sees the important scenes of the future. That makes her very powerful. She is still very young, which makes her easy to influence, although she often gives the impression that she understands 'the big picture'. I am very glad that your continued life is in her interest. I will treat her with respect, since she is a seer, and shower her with curious attention, since she is almost a child.  
Arthur smiled and said, "This is one of those moments again..."  
"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, unsettled.  
"There are moments, Merlin, when you radiate something Even though I don't like to admit it's wisdom. And again you look so self-satisfied, the rest of the time you are a complete idiot," Arthur said slightly annoyed.  
Merlin grinned and said, "Not the entire remaining time, as you now know.  
"Oh really! Name me one situation where you weren't a complete idiot after all," Arthur replied teasingly.  
Merlin thought for a moment and said: "I followed you into the land of danger.  
"And I still don't understand why you donkey had to follow me at all costs," Arthur replied.  
Merlin grinned maliciously. "Then who do you suppose is the donkey of us two?"  
Arthur said angrily: "Merlin! Don't push it too far! This was MY test to prove ME worthy of the royal throne, and this I was to pass alone, without help!  
Merlin fought with himself and did not tell the king that this had actually been his test. Nevertheless, he asked: "Can you remember the words of the guard at the bridge?  
Even though this was several years ago, he could remember the conversation very well, since what was said sometimes went through his head because he did not understand it completely. "He thought I was the courage. He also gave me advice that besides courage, I needed two things to complete my trial, namely strength and magic. When I refused the use of magic, he advised me not to reject magic prematurely, since different rules would apply in the country I was traveling in. Since

Gwaine is not a wizard, you were meant by magic and Gwaine stood for strength. I realize that now, but saying goodbye to the bridge guard was unpleasant. He admired my bracelet and his behaviour irritated me. He apparently didn't think much of lucky charms."  
"It was precisely this so-called good luck charm that made me follow you. I knew who gave it to you. I found out that this amulet was actually a phoenix eye, which burns the life energy from the wearer. It was not a lucky charm, but rather a death bringer, Arthur," Merlin explained.  
Arthur became very quiet. He simply couldn't understand Morgana's actions and it always hit him unprepared when he learned how long her hatred for him had been fermenting. "Then the bridge guard was right with his advice: I would not have completed the test alone - I would have lost my life. Isn't it surprising that the land of danger seems to be slowly recovering from the centuries-long illness? Arthur hesitated and added: "Something significant happened in the throne room when you were briefly locked up, didn't it?"  
Merlin looked somewhat sadly at the king and declared, "Yes, I met the Fisher King in the throne room. By his magic he did not die, but he could not help his kingdom or himself to recover. His only desire was that his torments should cease - he wanted to die. He had waited all these years for the dawn of a new time, the time of the former and future king. This time would dawn and his time would finally come to an end. The king kept water from the lake of Avalon for all these years and presented me with this precious gift with the words: 'Albion's time of need is drawing near and in this hour you must be strong, because only you can save it. Your power is great, but you will need help, so I give you this. When all seems lost, the water will show you the way'". Since he had given me a gift, he also demanded a gift in return.  
"You should kill him, shouldn't you?" Arthur asked cautiously.  
"Yes, indirectly. I had taken the Phoenix Eye from your arm shortly before and I was carrying it with me at that moment. The Fisher King knew that the Phoenix Eye would burn away his last life energy and magic power and he could finally die and thus begin a new era. Shortly before you entered the throne room, I put the amulet on the Fisher King kneeling and honoring him. He dissolved with the word 'Thank you' and died," Merlin ended.  
Arthur tried to dispel Merlin's sadness with a funny saying: "Okay, Merlin. You're not an idiot the rest of the time, you're only half the time. But the other half, you're probably a pain in the ass."  
All that needed was a tired smile on Arthur's face, but it was better than the sad expression on his face before.  
"Do you still have the water I gave you?" Arthur asked with interest.  
"No, I no longer have it. "And no, I have neither drunk it nor lost it. It has really helped us a lot," Merlin yawned extensively and blinked tiredly, "and ..." Merlin yawned again.  
Arthur now had to yawn too and said: "Another time - we should listen to Gaius and finally get some sleep. He made himself comfortable in his bed and assumed that Merlin had already fallen asleep. It did not take long before sleep overcame him as well.


	24. Castle words

While Merlin and Arthur were finally catching up on some rest and sleep, the castle was in a frenzy. A knight had tried to kill the king and a sweet girl had prevented this. It was also on everyone's lips that the laws concerning magic should be relaxed. There were also rumors that the king's food was also poisoned a few days ago. Especially the royal cook reproached herself that she was not surprised by the strange face in her kitchen. The described woman actually fitted quite well into her kitchen, but the cook could not suppress a cold shiver when looking into her eyes. She had called herself a superstitious idiot, ignored the feeling and concentrated on her work again. She was relieved that nothing had happened to the king and that Gareth had no need to fear punishment either. She had also noticed that Merlin, the king's servant, had probably been affected by the alleged "enjoyment of wine". She could well imagine the real situation: How Arthur started the meal and Merlin, out of jest, stole a piece of it from the king and ate it himself, which also brought him into contact with the poison. She had often noticed that the "boy" was almost never sick. She could not imagine that Merlin had spoiled his stomach with wine, because he never asked for it in her kitchen. Also the king, since his wedding with his bride, drank almost no wine at all. She could feel that many things were going on in the castle - good and bad, she feared, and she knew that a change was in the air.

Then she saw the described woman again in her kitchen. The stranger moved as if she belonged exactly to this place. She did not constantly look around uncertainly or make hasty movements. The cook seized her chance and walked towards her with quick steps: "You there, I have forgotten your name. What is your name?" The cook could not detect any panic in the woman's eyes and became almost uncertain whether this was the right stranger at all.  
"My name is Kara."  
"I do not remember hiring you in my kitchen. So what are you doing here?", the cook asked further, as she was slowly getting annoyed by the cold behavior of the woman. Behind her back, the cook drew the guard's attention to herself. She had put one hand in her cross and tried to wave the guards energetically.  
The guards briefly observed the situation and realized that the description of the woman they were looking for could apply to the woman in front of the cook. The guards also communicated briefly and slowly began to surround the strange woman.  
The cook was still unsure as Kara must have seen the guards' movements, but she heard Kara answer calmly, "I was told to ask you about just such a job.  
"Don't you decide that for yourself? Did your mother tell you to do that or..." The cook fell silent as the cold in the woman's eyes increased and the hatred from her eyes sputtered straight out.  
"My mother was murdered."  
The cook was just about to apologize and express her sympathy when she saw that a guard was only a meter away from Kara and herself.  
"I guess that was a no to my question," the brown-haired woman said unemotionally.  
The cook's attention was distracted by the fact that a kitchen boy stumbled, fell and the cooking pots he was carrying fell clattering on the floor. The cook looked back in shock - the scene had not changed much. The sentry was still a meter away from her, the others of her regime were busy with their work, only there was no trace of Kara. She blinked and could not believe her eyes. She searched the kitchen with her eyes and saw that the guard was already giving orders.  
"Where did she go?" asked the guard.  
"I do not know. The woman was standing right in front of me just a second ago. At first I thought that she might not be the woman I was looking for, but her disappearance is very suspicious.  
"What did you talk about? What did she say?", the next questions whipped at her already.  
"She said that her name was Kara, that she wanted to get a job in the kitchen and that her mother had been murdered. I hope this helps," the cook replied, still puzzled.  
"You did the right thing in asking her questions and alerting us. I will pass on the information. I will give it

not like to, but this conversation is almost all we have so far. I can count on finding you here again? If you think of anything else, send me a message," said the guard.  
Berta looked at him skeptically and finally said snorting: "I would do that, but then you at least have to tell me your name, because the description 'handsome and talkative guard' is probably not precise enough.  
The guard grinned and repeated teasingly: "So, handsome? The cheeks of the cook took on a slightly pink tone. The guard could hardly wipe off the grin. "I have actually never seen you blush." His grin grew stronger as the color turned to deep red. "My name, my dear, is Warrick, or just ask for the head of the castle guard," he replied winking and turned on his heel.  
"No, something like that," sighed the cook. She shook her head vigorously to clear it up, and clapped her hands. She wouldn't be distracted by such things, after all, it was already time for dinner, and she could already see from the corners of her eyes that she had to give one or the other in her kitchen some steam under his ass if the meal was to be on time.

Warrick was just very happy with himself. Finally he was able to give Sir Leon a short report, even if it was not sure how reliable the information was, at least it was something. It was still a disappointment that the other guards couldn't get anything out of him. Quickly he made his way to the mentioned knight. He probably had the best chances if he would ask the guards in front of the royal chamber. When he came into sight, he noticed, not without pride, that the guards stood straighter as soon as they saw him. After a short greeting he did not even get a chance to ask his question, as Sir Leon stepped quietly out of the room.  
"The king is sleeping. It is best to let him sleep and only allow visitors to enter in urgent cases. A person who is not rested is inattentive and makes mistakes too quickly, as we have noticed today," said Sir Leon.  
Warrick drew attention to himself and greeted the knight appropriately.  
"There is news? Reports," Sir Leon replied briefly.  
"The royal cook, Berta, has probably just seen the woman we are looking for in her kitchen and addressed her," the head of the castle guard began his report and informed Sir Leon of the latest information.  
"Her disappearance suggests that she is a sorceress. So absolute caution and urgency is called for. Keep your eyes open and ask the people in the castle if they know a young brown-haired woman named Kara," Sir Leon ordered.  
When Warrick did not say goodbye, the knight asked, "Is there anything else?"  
"Yes, Sire, if I might ask a question?"  
Sir Leon nodded, but rather reluctantly. The knight knew the call of the head of the castle guard. He was definitely excellent. It was actually surprising he was not a knight.  
"What did you mean when you said that a rested man makes fewer mistakes? Was this related to changing the laws," Warrick asked seriously and emphatically.  
Sir Leon was already about to shake his head when he paused in the movement. He trusted this very sentry. He gave him a hint to follow him so they could talk a bit more undisturbed. "It referred rather to the fact that King Arthur was exhausted and inattentive, so he did not defend himself against the assassination attempt. I have seen him fight so often and he has strong reflexes. Under normal circumstances, Sir Fewon would not have had a chance to teach the king even a small scratch. I am annoyed that this stubborn king didn't just stay in bed. And as for your presumption, what do you think about changing the laws?"  
Warrick did not feel comfortable in his skin. How could he answer this question without getting into trouble? He chose the phrase he had always used in Uther's time: "I stand behind my king and protect him with my life."  
Sir Leon did not expect this answer. He was apparently already so accustomed to freely expressing his opinion in the presence of the King that he forgot that others did not know Arthur so well and had no idea how much Uther and Arthur differed.  
"I give you my word that you will speak freely, your harm will not be," Sir Leon assured him.  
Warrick pondered for a while. The wording was not entirely without

loophole, but he knew that Sir Leon was not devious, and finally said: "To be honest, I don't know for sure. What would happen if the laws were relaxed or even magic were allowed to happen again? Perhaps because of this, Camelot would sink into chaos or it could recover from Uther's rule. It would be a nice change of pace if wizards were on our side and we didn't have to deal with thwarting their attacks or finding them. Is it true that helping wizards is no longer punishable with the death penalty across the board?"  
"You think wizards could help us?" Sir Leon asked in surprise.  
"Of course, healers do nothing else all day long. I could well imagine that wizards are among them. But you have not answered the question concerning the death penalty," Warrick asked.  
"Oh, no, I mean yes..." Sir Leon took a short breath and finally said: "Yes, the law regarding magic will be changed but not abolished. Do many think like you?"  
Warrick scratched his chin and said, "That is difficult to judge. Many have been able to keep their lives because they are very good at not telling others their true feelings and thoughts. I will carefully ask some of them. How is it that this rethinking is happening right now? Does this have something to do with Tea and Bronwen?"  
"Not really. The real reason is another and it is much more complicated than I would like. I have felt first-hand the agony that witchcraft can cause, and yet I have been brought back to life by magic. This thinking 'wizards are evil' is deeply rooted and I need time to adjust my intuitive reactions to the new way of thinking," Sir Leon explained, thinking of someone else.  
"What new way of thinking?" Warrick asked attentively.  
"That perhaps not all magicians are evil." With these words, Sir Leon left Warrick and hurriedly walked down the aisle. The head of the castle guard stared after the knight for a while. This conversation had been most enlightening. There was probably more to Tea and Bronwen than was thought, since Sir Leon did not generally deny that healers could be wizards. He decided to keep an eye on these two himself. And the answer 'not really' probably meant that at least one of them had magic powers. As it seemed, not only this stranger Kara was another sorceress, but there was a sorcerer in the castle who had strongly influenced the opinion of Sir Leon and probably that of the king. Even more interesting was the fact that the dungeon was empty. Arthur must have learned about the powers and had not been able to have the sorcerer thrown into the dungeon or locked up. This was very difficult for him to imagine and yet it was his best explanation. He had seen Arthur growing up and knew that he rejected magic in general and as intuitively as Sir Leon had just confessed. This attitude had probably made a major event very confusing. A smile was stealing onto his face. No wonder the law was changed. If the king would consciously help a magician, he would theoretically have to condemn himself to death according to the current law. He shook his head at this idiocy.


	25. Warrick´s day

Merlin was finally really awake. Arthur still seemed to be asleep, so he sneaked out of the room. The guards looked amazed when they saw the sleepy Merlin. The young magician did not pay attention to them and went to his own room. He longed for fresh water and clean clothes. These were sweaty and smelly on his body. He did not pay attention to his way and ran into a wall. When the wall went 'Whew', he looked up.  
"Merlin, you've looked better than that before," replied the guard.  
Merlin knew him by sight, but did not remember his name.  
"Are you feeling better again? I have heard that you are not comfortable drinking wine," the guard inquired further.  
"No, I hardly ever drink wine and should definitely leave it alone," Merlin said truthfully.  
The guard laughed and patted him on the shoulder.  
"Oh, excuse me, that was probably a bit too firm. When I look at your head bandage like that, I can figure out how it came about," the guard teased him.  
Merlin shrugged.  
"What do you think of the change in the law?" The guard looked closely at the reaction of the royal servant and was surprised to see that he was suddenly completely silent and alert.  
"My opinion is not important," Merlin tried to avoid the question.  
"It's not?"  
"No, what is your opinion," he asked instead as a counter-question.  
"Oh yes, I realize that the answer to that question can be a bit tricky ... You don't know who I am, do you?", the guard asked the subject, changing the subject.  
"Well, I..." Merlin was more than embarrassed by the question, but the guards looked very similar in their uniforms.  
"I am Warrick, the head of the castle guard. Sir Leon asked me to go to the castle to find out what the attitude to the change in the law was, hence the questioning," he ended.  
Merlin, relieved, expelled the air he had subconsciously held on to. "Well, I... I think it's good that people have to be less afraid," Merlin said cautiously.  
"So you don't think magic is evil?" Warrick continued to drill.  
Merlin snorted: "Is a kitchen knife evil?"  
Warrick had to use force to scare away the thoughts of the castle kitchen and its lovely cook. "What kind of question is that? Of course a kitchen knife is not evil. It is useful," he replied distractedly.  
"Is it still useful when it is in the heart of a human being?", Merlin asked provocatively.  
"What are you talking about? Kitchen knives are used for cooking and not for killing," Warrick replied impatiently.  
"So you can't use a kitchen knife to hurt or even kill another person," Merlin relentlessly reiterated.  
"It's a knife, so of course you can cut yourself with it, and with the right strength it can also be deadly," Warrick replied insightfully.  
"What if I use the kitchen knife to prepare herbs and dress wounds? Or if I use it to defend someone else? Is it good then, useful or evil?"  
Warrick took the time to think about this seriously and then slowly answered, "This view of magic is interesting.  
Merlin realized he might have made a mistake. "I did not use the word magic," he defended himself.  
"No, you did not. How do you think the kitchen knife should be used," Warrick asked lurking.  
"How do you think?" Merlin lost his patience. He finally wanted to wash up and slip into clean clothes. "The kitchen knife should be used for good, which is what it is for, to help people, whether it be for preparing food or healing wounds.  
"Thank you for your words, Merlin. I regret that I have not sought dialogue with you more often until now. I did not expect the king's servant to have an alert mind. However, it does explain why Arthur likes to have you around despite your insubordination. Do not look so perplexed. Guards often stand still for hours in one place and are often forgotten by their own surroundings. You wouldn't believe how many interesting details come to light. What am I talking about? If I see it right, I'm late for my own guard shift myself," Warrick said with a grin.  
"I thought you were the head of the castle guard?"  
"That's right, and that's why I should be on standing duty for hours just like my colleagues, shouldn't I? And  
Unpunctuality will also have its consequences for me, which is why I must now say goodbye. I am looking forward to the next conversation, and don't worry, if I should ever quote you, I will not reveal your name.  
That really left Merlin speechless. What kind of man was he? He could not quite place him. He definitely had to be more careful around him, since the head of the castle guard was smart and attentive. But Merlin would only deal with that later, now he wanted to go to his room without interruptions.

Warrick quickly went to the rooms of Tea and Bronwen and relieved one of the guards. He wasn't officially on duty, but the guard didn't question the order and was probably already on his way to the tavern. He kept his eyes open and had his surroundings in view, thinking about the conversations of the day. Especially today these had been very amusing, informative and instructive. But Merlin was really a mystery to him. Most of the time the servant seemed to be a fool, because he stumbled, could not fight and often had arguments with the king. How many times had he listened to the guards' reports about the insolence the royal servant threw at the prince - or later the king - Arthur. There were even bets aimed at imprisonment or worse, but none of them came true. The king seemed to enjoy these little arguments, but no one else dared to try them. Warrick wondered if Uther's servant had always accompanied him at every turn, and he was very sure that this was not the case. A cunning servant who was a good friend of the king and did not hold a grudge against magic. The magician in question might well be a friend of Merlin. But before Warrick could finish thinking, his attention was drawn to the opening of the room door. Out came a radiant girl with light curly hair.  
She stood directly in front of him, looked him straight in the eyes and said, "It's about time. Do you know how long I've been waiting here for you?"  
Warrick tried to continue to act professionally and not stare at the girl. There was no way she could have meant him, right?  
"Master of the castle guard or something! I'm talking to you!" she insisted.  
He made the mistake and looked Tea in the eye.  
"Yes finally, he reacts! Surely you can search my room and see that there are no bad men, or worse, monsters, are there, right? Otherwise I won't be able to sleep all night," she improvised.  
Warrick told the other guard to keep guarding the door while he took care of 'the monsters'. As soon as the door was closed, he was amazed. It was a very luxurious room, but Bronwen and Tea didn't seem to fit in well.  
Bronwen stood up and greeted him with these words: "Good that you are here, Master of the Knife. I thought I had misunderstood something."  
"No, no, so far everything seems to point to that," Tea added uneasily.  
"What is going on here? And how do you know me anyway? And what's all this talk about 'Master of the Knife'", Warrick asked uneasily.  
"I have seen you," said Tea meaningfully.  
Warrick did not understand the statement and asked sharply, "When did you see me do something?  
There was no way Tea would tell him how terrible the vision was. She knew how devastating it could be to reveal such details and hoped fervently that she was doing the right thing. She knew that a certain vision was imminent, and the end was not pretty. The scene took place in the kitchen, everything was covered in blood and his face was covered in tears. Tea began to tremble, she felt sick as the scene was once again in her mind. She shook her head and retreated a few steps away from Warrick.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," said this one with a guilty conscience.  
"I'm not afraid of you. You are a protector. I saw it! Do you know anyone who works in the kitchen?" asked Tea cautiously.  
Warrick's eyes took on a panicky expression and he whispered, "Berta.  
"Hurry up! Run as fast as you can and protect her," cried Tea alarmed, though she wasn't sure if Warrick had understood the end as he had hurried halfway out the door.  
Tea screamed in her mind for Mordred.

During the race, Warrick kept thinking the same thoughts over and over again: 'Not Berta, please not her of all people'. The words 'protector', 'master of knives', 'seen', and 'I have seen you' also haunted his mind. He rumbled into the kitchen and was rigid with fright. Berta was lying on the floor and everything was covered in blood. In the corners stood the kitchen maids and boys, trembling. They could not take their eyes off the strange woman named Kara. She stood over Berta and hissed: "You will all pay! Whoever is not for us is against us. Camelot and its subjects do not deserve to continue to exist. I will take everything from you as you have taken everything from me."  
She muttered unfamiliar words, her eyes lit up, and Warrick saw that all the knives in the room were moving swiftly toward the children. Master of the Knives' haunted his mind again and he moved. Everything suddenly seemed to happen in slow motion. He grabbed his own knife and threw it away from him. It distracted another knife and they both fell to the ground clattering. Meanwhile, he leapt to the next one and literally plucked it out of the flight path. Again, one knife left his hand and several distracted knives dug into the firewood piled on the wall instead of into the children's bodies. One knife was still in the air, which he deflected with a wooden spoon, but he was unfamiliar with it and the direction of the knife's flight now pointed to Berta. He could only use his own arm as a shield to protect his Berta, and he did not hesitate for a second. He tore the knife from his arm and threw it at the witch. It filled him with satisfaction when he saw that he had hit her in the shoulder. But how little attention she paid to her wound made him shiver. Against a sorceress he was almost powerless. It comforted him that he felt Berta breathing. All was not yet lost. He heard that at least one man in armor approached.  
Sir Mordred rushed into the kitchen, his sword drawn and ready for battle, and fell. "Kara?" he asked hesitantly.  
Kara's eyes lost their glassy expression and a hint of joy was briefly visible. "Mordred!" But when she noticed his clothes, she spat at him and shouted, "You? You wear the colors of Camelot? You of all people protect the? I never thought you could sink so low. You have betrayed us! You betrayed me!"  
Mordred said coldly, but surely, "I don't betray my friends!"  
"Friends?" she asked cuttingly. She did not succumb to his nervous twitching and she changed to the language of thought. "What would happen if your so-called friends found out that you have magic, as I do? They would turn the sword against you and slaughter you without question. They do not deserve your loyalty, and you know it."  
He answered her angrily and also in thought: "It is true that not everyone here knows that I possess magic and that is necessary now, but Arthur deserves my loyalty."  
"He is his father's son and that is all I need to know," Kara said aloud.  
Mordred also replied audibly to this for everyone: "Arthur is a just and fair king and does not let himself be led by blind hatred for magic. He is currently in the process of changing the laws concerning magic.  
Kara laughed without joy. "Of course the oh so kind king does that. Bit by bit the laws are becoming more and more merciful, the magicians and druids are lulling themselves into a false sense of security. Throughout Camelot, sorcerers will openly profess their magic, and shall I tell you how it ends?  
The protection of anonymity was then exchanged for empty promises and hopes that at last there would be no need to hide, to flee or to live in fear... But then it struck. A law is suddenly passed in which all magicians and their friends and families deserve to die. With one precise blow, all are wiped out and the great purification reaches its climax. Camelot does not deserve to exist and must perish."  
"Are you listening to yourself? What should come after that? Who guarantees that everything will be better after Camelot's downfall," Mordred asked angrily.  
"No one, but I will get better..." she faltered and a muffled sound could be heard.  
Mordred saw something brown flashing. Kara rolled her eyes, slumped down and a chalky white Gareth appeared behind her. This one had also been in the kitchen and had sworn to pay off his debt to the king. He had to help to protect him. During the whole situation he stood by the logs and carefully took one of them. He made himself bigger, took a swing and hit the witch on the temples. He dropped the piece of firewood in shock and gasped for breath.  
Mordred reluctantly gave Gareth the following order: "Tie her up and above all gag her. Let the guards take her to the dungeon. You there," he addressed a not-so-scared kitchen boy, "get Gaius and Merlin. Hurry up!"  
Meanwhile, tears ran down his cheeks. Even though his Berta was still breathing, he knew that with such a great loss of blood she had no chance. He held her in his arms and gently cradled her. He thought he had misheard when he heard her voice: "Man, even though I generally have nothing against cuddling with you, the kitchen floor wall wallowing in pig's blood is not one of my fantasies.  
"Pig's blood?" he asked stupidly.  
"Most of it yes, although I think your arm contributed a bit, too. This definitely needs bandaging."  
Warrick still looked at Berta with a completely idiotic expression. "Pig's blood?," he asked again unnecessarily. "It's not yours?"  
"No, fortunately not. I suddenly stumbled and tried to regain my balance with my arms, unfortunately I knocked over the bucket from the last slaughter and fell like a wet sack into the mess on the floor. I think it will be best to get out of our robes and wash ourselves as soon as possible. I would not like to be seen like this, and when perhaps even the king comes to speak with us ... there is no time to lose.  
Berta addressed her word to Sir Mordred: "Sire, if I may disturb you? Would it be all right if we could clean up this mess and freshen up afterwards?"  
Sir Mordred nodded absently and Berta ordered two kitchen boys to clean up the pig's blood. She dragged Warrick out of the kitchen with these words: "Now come on. I still have a bone to pick with you. What were you doing in the kitchen again? I thought the head of the castle guard was a busy man! And how did you manage to get a knife drilled into your arm?  
The last words were already barely understandable in the kitchen and the conversation went on in the cleaning noises of the cake boys. Mordred could still only stare at Kara. Slowly he became aware of his surroundings again.  
He called Merlin in thought language: "Merlin, come into the kitchen immediately with bandages. We probably have the accomplice... And she..."  
Mordred did not know how to continue the sentence. He could not and would not imagine the consequences that could follow. Was this the situation that would be decisive for his betrayal of Arthur? Did he have no say in the matter? He suppressed the thoughts of what would happen to Kara. She had used magic and wanted to kill. Why of all people the kitchen boys and girls, was another mystery to him. He was distracted by Merlin's entry and the appearance of more guards.  
"Merlin, check on the prisoner. As far as I can tell, she's the only one injured, with the exception of one guard."  
Merlin saw that the injured was bound as well as gagged and frowned. He asked Mordred in his mind, "She has magic, am I right?"  
Mordred did not answer him. Merlin looked up and looked in his direction. Mordred looked confused and desperate.  
"Is she a sorceress?"  
Mordred nodded.  
"Do you know her?" continued Merlin.  
He saw the hesitation of Mordred and then a restrained nod.  
Merlin had to inhale sharply. "She knows you have magic too, doesn't she?"  
Mordred sat down on a kitchen stool, nodded slightly and buried his face in his hands. In the meantime, Gaius had arrived and helped with the examination of the prisoners. He instructed Merlin to remove the knife, stop the bleeding and dress the wound. Gaius himself examined the bump on her head. Although she had abrasions from the piece of wood on her head, she should regain consciousness after a few hours of sleep. He shared his assessment with Mordred. After Merlin treated the wound on her shoulder, Kara was taken to the dungeon cell by several guards.  
"Sir Mordred, are you hurt?" Gaius asked, noticing that the knight was standing beside him.  
"No, I was not hurt. The cook and the guard were to be fetched so that they could report to the king. I go to him and inform him that he is needed in the throne room. The guard had an injury on his arm. Merlin, can you come into the throne room and bandage it?"  
Merlin nodded and looked uncertainly at Mordred.


	26. Further commitments

Mordred did not know what to feel. His movements were mechanical and his actions were characterized by duty. He did not take the right path to the king at all. Suddenly he stood in front of the door and wanted to get in. The guards said that they had instructions that the king should only be awakened in urgent cases.  
Mordred came out between clenched teeth: 'This is urgent!' and went into the room. He saw that the king was not asleep, but enjoying dinner with his queen. He looked up and immediately recognized on Mordred's face that something had happened.  
"What had happened? Is anyone hurt?" Arthur asked immediately.  
Mordred had to force himself to speak: "There was an incident in the kitchen. A guard was slightly injured and the attacker was rendered harmless for the time being. A cook and a sentry can tell you more about it. I came in later and saw that Gareth took out the woman with a blow to the back of the head - he was lime white with fear. Mordred said the last sentence more to himself.  
"Who was the woman?" Arthur asked further.  
"Her name is Kara and she seems to be the woman who helped poison you."  
"What have I done to her?" Arthur asked in shock.  
"Nothing," replied Mordred.  
"Nothing?" asked Gwen. "Then why would she want Arthur dead?"

"He is his father's son," Mordred whispered.  
"My father's? I am nothing like my father! This is about magic again, isn't it? She is a sorceress?" Arthur asked resignedly.  
Mordred nodded and pulled his face in agony. "I know her," he whispered. "I grew up with her," he confessed further.  
The room remained silent, since no one knew what to say about this opening. Mordred's thoughts ran wildly through the room. What could he possibly do? What would Kara say? What had happened to Kara? How would Arthur act? What would the sentry report? The sentry ... Mordred cleared his throat, took up his posture again and said monotonously: "The sentry and the cook were able to observe the events and were brought into the throne room. You are expected there."  
Arthur was glad that he could at least eat something for a short time and that he had taken the trouble to dress himself properly after getting up - with Gwen's help, of course. He gave Gwen a determined nod and went with her and Mordred to the throne room. The last few days had been too emotionally stirring for his taste... As he stepped into the throne room, he was not surprised to see not only Merlin patching up a sentry, but also some knights and both Tea and Bronwen next to the cook. Arthur took a seat on his throne.

"It has come to my attention that there was an incident in the kitchen. Reported," Arthur began the interrogation.  
"A few hours ago I saw a stranger in my kitchen and the description matched the woman I was looking for. I approached her and she told me her name Kara, that she was looking for a job in the kitchen and her mother was dead. The guard couldn't catch her because she disappeared from one second to the next. A few hours later she was in the kitchen again. Unfortunately I can't tell you exactly what she wanted, suddenly everything happened so fast. I stumbled and tore a jug of pig's blood with me, which must have made the scene very threatening. Suddenly, she started screaming, talking about revenge and the fall of Camelot." Seeking help, she looked around for Warrick. It made her very nervous to see the king right in front of her.  
Warrick's arm was now bandaged and he cleared his throat: "My King, I am Warrick, the head of the castle guard. I can confirm the cook's report. It was the second time today that the sorceress Kara", a murmur went through the row, because just the confirmation was heard that magic was involved, "had entered the castle kitchen. I came into the kitchen the second time and saw Berta lying on the floor covered in blood, the kitchen maids and young ones crouching frightened on the wall. The witch screamed that we should all pay, and that we do not deserve to live. She wanted to take everything from us, just as we had taken everything from her. She muttered words I have never heard before and that is when the knives were pointed at the children. She was mad and wanted to kill everything and everyone. I could barely stop the knives from hurting anyone."  
"Except yourself, you idiot," Berta said softly to Warrick.  
Warrick smiled at her dreamily.  
"How could you overpower her?" Gwen asked.  
"I didn't overpower her at all - Gareth did," Warrick explained.  
Arthur searched the room for Gareth, and indeed, he stood

at the back of the room. "Gareth, come forward," Arthur commanded.  
Gareth looked up at Arthur as if spellbound. "I ... I had to try, even if it was probably just luck that I survived the attack. But I had to make it up to him. She wanted to destroy you and all of Camelot. I..."  
Arthur waved away. "Thank you. The prisoner is interrogated and receives a fair trial, which will take place in the next days. For now the matter is settled. You may leave."

The throne room emptied slowly. Arthur saw that Tea ran to the guard Warrick and excitedly bombarded him with questions. There was much speculation as to who the sorceress was and what punishment she deserved. But Sir Mordred did not move. He was still fighting with himself. What should he do? Would Kara Arthur betray Arthur in the trial that he possessed magic? Would he be relieved if the secret was out? Can he still be trusted at all? This was not the first time he asked himself this question. By now he was glad that Merlin had only now revealed to him why he had always distrusted him before. He decided to leave the question to Arthur, whether he could still be trusted or not. He went to Arthur and said, "My King, I must speak with you.  
Arthur looked Mordred in the eyes for a long time and sighed. He was pretty sure that he didn't want to hear what Mordred had to say, since it probably didn't make the situation any easier. Out loud, he said, "Leave us alone, now." He nodded apologetically at Gwen, but he thought it would make it easier for Mordred. Merlin reluctantly made his way out of the throne room until he heard a 'Merlin, stay! He turned around and was astonished that this request had not come from Arthur. Sir Mordred also addressed Sir Leon. "You too, Sir Leon, should stay," Mordred asked.

Sir Gwaine overheard the conversation and demanded, "If the curly head stays, then I will stay too.  
"Mordred, what is this?" Arthur asked annoyed.  
Mordred waited until everyone else had left the room and the doors were closed. "You are too trusting, my king. I have just told you that I know the sorceress Kara, that I even grew up with her, and yet you wanted to have the conversation with me alone.  
"Of course, you are a knight of Camelot, why should I fear you?" Arthur asked, shocked.  
"Just as Sir Fewon was a knight of Camelot? You will probably never learn a healthy dose of suspicion. What makes you so sure that I could not attack you?" Mordred followed up.  
"I know and trust you," Arthur said confidently.  
"Are you so sure?" Mordred asked challengingly. Merlin held his breath. He feared or hoped that Mordred would either turn against Arthur or confess to him that he possessed magic. Arthur waited, but Mordred did not speak. You could tell he was still wrestling with himself. But then he looked Arthur confidently in the eyes and said into the silence: "I also possess magic. Even though I have been renouncing these abilities for years, they are still a part of me.  
All present held their breath. Merlin watched Arthur closely. When he suddenly started laughing out loud, he must have had Mordred's frown. Mordred had expected many reactions, but this one was definitely not one of them. The king couldn't stop his laughing fit at all, he turned all red in the face with laughter and tried desperately to catch his breath.

"What's so funny?" Mordred demanded to know.  
Arthur needed a moment to catch his breath and then answered seriously: "Sir Mordred, you are a knight and a magician at the same time. You have fought by my side in battles and protected me and Camelot. I have learned in recent days that there are also good wizards who use their power to protect Camelot, only that until now they have had to act in secret. I am not laughing at you, but at my inability to recognize magic. I would never have thought it possible that I am surrounded by it and that wizards protect me without my knowledge. But I simply do not see how I could have earned your loyalty. You are knights, fighting for Camelot, a kingdom where wizards used to be slaughtered for no reason, why do you remain loyal to me of all people? The self-doubt in Arthur's voice could only be recognized by those who really knew him.  
Mordred shook his head inwardly. Here he stood, before his king, confessing to him that he was a traitor under the present law, and the king did not question Mordred's loyalty, but whether the king himself would even deserve this loyalty. It strengthened him in his decision to save Arthur from the prophecy. He did not yet know exactly how, but the king was not allowed to die by his hand under any circumstances. He had to prevent this and no price seemed too high for him. It was a relief that the secret of his magic no longer stood between him and Arthur. Furthermore, he no longer had to fear that Kara could betray him. Mordred's face darkened at the thought of her. He could not reconcile the young, lovely girl from the past with the mad witch of today. He could not imagine what circumstances, lies or dark magic had made Kara the inwardly dead woman. He had the tiny hope that maybe he could get through to her and at the same time he was afraid to talk to her. He still loved the friendly Kara from his childhood and was aware that this illusion was already crumbling. A conversation with the cold Kara of the present would completely destroy the old image of her. And yet he owed it to her to find out whether she had really acted of her own free will and whether even Morgana was behind Kara's changed behavior. Even though he did not feel comfortable with his request, as he did not want to put Arthur's trust to the test any more.

"Mordred?," the king asked uncertainly.  
Mordred scared out of his thoughts and he realized that he had not yet answered the king's question. "You are just and fair. You really care about Camelot and especially about your subjects. You are not blinded by hatred, you take advice and can even admit mistakes and act accordingly. Since you have ruled, no sorcerer has been executed, which gives me hope. I have always hoped that one day magic will be freed and I can continue to fight by your side and help you not only with my swordsmanship but also with my magic," he concluded.  
Arthur had expected that Mordred would use a phrase like 'It's an honor' or 'My duty is to serve you' to avoid having to express his sincere thoughts and hopes in front of Merlin, Sir Leon, and Sir Gwaine. Arthur did not know exactly how to answer. A thrust from Merlin into his side made him even more aware that he had to respond to it. "Mordred, I thank you from my heart for your sincere words. As Fewon's reaction showed me, the idea of allowing magic to work again is being resisted by some people, so I ask everyone in the room to talk about the possession

of magic still to keep silence. My charming wife just told me at dinner that not only a new bill concerning assistance to magicians is available, but also a change in the law concerning magic in general has already been discussed. At first I thought that this might have been a bit hasty, but your revelation reinforces the urgency of this undertaking. We will continue to discuss it in the next council meeting and hopefully we will already have a change in the law. I can't say whether wizards and knights will ever fight together, but it does not seem impossible anymore.  
Mordred made big eyes. He could hardly believe that his dream might come true. All the more he had to force himself to make the following request: "My king, would I be allowed to speak to the prisoner? I..." Mordred fell silent because he could not put his feelings into words.  
Arthur looked at him in surprise and pondered over his request. "You grew up with her?" Arthur asked.  
Mordred nodded.

"She used to be like a sister to you?" Arthur surmised quietly, but the people in the room could still understand his question.  
"At first, I'm sure, but later, as we grew older... I... She..." Mordred broke off tortured. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.  
Arthur tried to order his thoughts. He really wanted to be a just and fair king, but he didn't know what harm this Kara could do. She was definitely dangerous and yet he would do everything in his power if this was about his Gwen. Only if he was absolutely sure that the love of his life would turn against him of his own free will, he might not defend her anymore, and even then he was not sure of that. He could hardly imagine a crime that could stop him from saving his Gwen from execution. So how far would Mordred go for Kara? He could not refuse his request, however, because that would prove his words wrong. He trusted Mordred, and even if he was too trusting, he certainly didn't want to see an enemy in every friend.  
"Surely you may talk to the prisoner. But since she is a witch, you should not go alone and take at least one knight of your choice with you," Arthur decided.  
"I will go with him if Sir Mordred so wishes," Merlin said emphatically.

Arthur looked at Merlin without understanding and asked: "Merlin, why should Sir Mordred choose you instead of a knight?  
Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine smiled and shook their heads at the same time. Sir Mordred also amused Arthur's question. Merlin just looked at Arthur and raised an eyebrow, questioning and disbelieving. When Arthur still did not respond, Merlin said, "I can spell it out for you, if you like!  
"MERLIN! I am your king and you can at least have a little respect for your king," Arthur replied irritated and was about to give Merlin a slap on the back of the head with his flat hand when he suddenly stumbled and missed. All but Arthur could clearly see the golden flash of Merlin's eyes. The King regained his balance and looked into Merlin's pointy-faced and guilty face.  
"Merlin?," Arthur said suspiciously.  
"Yes, my King?" replied Merlin and could not help but grin.  
"What... exactly... was... THAT... right now?", Arthur asked and he himself did not know whether he was angry or whether he should laugh.

"Because you asked so nicely, I am happy to tell you, and so that you understand, I will spell it out for you: It was M-A-G-I-E."  
All those present held their breath as they expected an outburst of rage. Arthur, however, gave Merlin a lightning-fast pat on the back of the head. He looked stunned and laughingly rubbed the affected area.  
Although Mordred had followed the scene with a slight smile, he slowly became restless and said, "It's a good idea for Merlin to accompany me. He doesn't need to come with me to the cell either, since I can call him with my thoughts at any time".  
Arthur nodded absently.

There was this thought language again. There was so much about magic that he did not know. He urgently needed to reduce his ignorance. Towards Merlin and Sir Mordred he did not want to admit his helplessness at first. He also doubted that Gwen could tell him much. Then Gaius came to his mind. If Merlin was sent to Camelot to be instructed by his court physician, then Gaius probably knew a great deal about magic. He noticed how his eyes became heavy and he could only with difficulty suppress a yawn. It was late by now and he knew that tomorrow would be another exhausting day. "Sir Mordred, you can go with Merlin to the prisoner tomorrow. Merlin will probably look at your head, then the conversation will be appropriate. I will go to bed now, as my wife will miss me already and will surely wonder about my long absence.  
The king slowly stepped out of the room and was bid farewell by his friends. Sir Gwaine steered immediately towards Sir Mordred and gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. The latter flinched at first, but caught up quickly. "Well, well! So are you a knightly wizard now, or would you rather be a magical knight? And did you also often save us with magic without us noticing? That would also explain your talent with the sword. Who wouldn't be outstanding with such tricks," he asked quietly, but teasingly.  
Arthur paused in his movement and turned to the conversation. Mordred looked seriously at his friend Gwaine and replied, "I never saved you with my magic, only my skill, training and reflexes decided the battle. With Merlin, magic may look simple and intuitive, but it's not really like that. It takes concentration, the right words and the right emphasis, a lot of practice and a certain talent to cast spells successfully. Merlin is the only magician I know who can cast spells only with his thoughts and feelings. He is not for nothing considered by the druids to be the most powerful wizard that ever existed and will ever exist".

Merlin's face blushed slightly at these words and he stared embarrassed at the floor.  
Arthur looked once again unbelievingly in Merlin's direction. Merlin should be the most powerful wizard? Only now did Arthur realize how superior Merlin actually was to him. Arthur considered him a friend, yes, but still he was the King of Camelot and Merlin was his servant. He mended his clothes, scrubbed the floor, served him, and obeyed - sometimes with disagreement - his command. Merlin did this not because he had to, but because he wanted to!  
Arthur couldn't handle this realization properly, so he said to Merlin, "Merlin, move it, or how long should I wait for you?  
Merlin just shrugged his shoulders and hurried to follow Arthur. It a silence arose again. Mordred was still waiting for a reaction from Sir Leon, since he had been very quiet. He was looking for eye contact to the knight and he had to force himself not to look away immediately.  
Sir Leon cleared his throat and finally said: "Well, that's a lot of confessions within a few days. I'm sorry, but I have yet to learn that magicians are not fundamentally evil. It's good that you told Arthur yourself about this and it didn't come out any other way. We seem to be surrounded by sorcerers without us knowing it." Sir Leon shook his head in disbelief and said goodbye.

Sir Gwaine tapped Sir Mordred on the shoulder with a comforting tap and said, "Give him some time. Some knights see magicians as deadly enemies and this attitude has been reinforced for years or even decades. Wizards like Merlin and you will be able to change their minds.  
Mordred just nodded and wondered if he really belonged to this kind of wizards. He really wanted to, but doubt reentered his mind. Perhaps fate had never given him a chance and he was doomed to kill his king. He shook his head vigorously and uttered a "No! He would not allow this prophecy to make him a bad person. Even though the vision left little room for interpretation, he would still manage to ensure that Arthur would not die. He would also not allow Kara to make him hate and even more doubt. He would listen to her and find out if she really acted of her own free will and try to avoid an execution. But he would not get his hopes up. A death sentence was very likely. That's why it was so important for him to talk to her himself and see if his beloved Kara was still alive or if the woman Kara became really deserved to die... He tightened up and finally left the throne room. Tomorrow would probably be even more disturbing than today and he desperately needed a good night's sleep. But he was relieved that Arthur finally knew about his magic. He wondered if he should also tell Arthur about the prophecy. From Merlin's conversation he had learned that knowing about a vision was not necessarily an advantage, quite the contrary. He decided to seek the conversation with Merlin first and then decide. Meanwhile his mind was booming with all the thoughts, decisions and fears, and he went to his room to find some peace. For a moment he was inclined to use a calming spell, but quickly discarded the thought. One should not unnecessarily tempt fate.


	27. Magic Uncertainty

Arthur woke up that morning by himself and took a short time to gather himself. He thought about the fact that not only Merlin but also Mordred possessed magic and that he would trust both of them with his life. He would already visit Gaius this morning and he hoped to get some information about magic. How was he supposed to rule a kingdom where apparently magicians already lived in secrecy, but where he was completely ignorant? There were so many questions that came up and he had no idea. How could he guarantee a fair trial to a captured sorceress when he knew so little? He was also aware that the verdict could change the trust in Mordred. He did not yet know what to do if Kara was really guilty and threatened a death sentence. It also occurred to him that another council meeting was scheduled for today to discuss the change in the law. This was another reason to visit Gaius and ask him to give him a rough outline of the magic. That couldn't be that complicated, could it?

Arthur stood up carefully because he did not want to wake Gwen and dressed quietly. He realized again that his clothes were absolutely impractical. He could hardly get dressed alone and when he looked at his work in the mirror, he sighed. So he could not go out the door. It looked as if a five-year-old had tried to dress himself. He was wondering whether he was simply incapable or whether it was because of his royal clothes, which were simply not made to be worn alone.  
Suddenly the door opened and a surprised Merlin entered quietly. He could not help but grin when he saw Arthur's elevator. Wordlessly he approached Arthur and tugged the clothes at one point or another, tied loops in the right place and walked back a little satisfied.  
Whispering, Arthur said to Merlin, "Thank you. I will go and see Gaius for a moment to talk to him. After you are finished here in the room, it is best to go and see Sir Mordred immediately, so that the conversation with the prisoner can take place as quickly as possible. It would be advantageous if the conversation takes place before the council meeting, so that we have answers to some questions and can concentrate on the change of the law. Do you think it was a good decision to allow Mordred to talk?"  
Merlin looked at Arthur with big eyes. The king had thanked him and now asked openly for his advice. He concentrated on the question and replied, "I don't know. Kara might have a negative influence on Mordred, but the conversation could hardly be refused. He needs certainty. He needs to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears how Kara has changed, or if a curse is to blame for her behavior. So yes, I think it was the right thing to do, but the consequences cannot be estimated and only the future will confirm that it was a good decision in the end".

Arthur let the words sink in and wanted to leave the room quietly, when Merlin asked anxiously: "Gaius will be all right, won't he?  
Arthur looked irritated and could not make sense of the question at first until he understood. "Gaius has nothing to fear from me. I really just want to talk to him, because I don't know anything about magic," Arthur admitted.  
"You could have asked me too," Merlin admitted.  
Arthur frowned and said: "Yes, I do, but it is still strange to me that you seem to know so much about magic. I promise you that I will come to you with my questions, but I would like to speak to Gaius first. He has seen me grow up and is like a teacher for me, so ..."  
Merlin understood and nodded. Arthur finally left the room and made his way to the court physician.

Gaius looked up in surprise when he saw the king coming into his chamber. He bowed and said, "Merlin is already on his way to you. I am astonished that you have missed him."  
Arthur shook his head and said, "I have already seen him. I wanted to speak with you, Gaius."  
Gaius frowned anxiously.  
"How can I rule a kingdom when I know nothing about magic? All I know is that magic can bring much pain and death, but I hardly know the good parts and know almost nothing about the limits of magic. I want to talk to you, because I feel like a little ignorant boy among experienced adults. I know I could have asked Merlin, or apparently even Mordred..."  
Arthur broke off when he saw that the court physician was not satisfied was surprised.  
"You know that Mordred is a sorcerer? For how long?" Arthur asked commandingly.  
Gaius sat down, took a breath and began to speak: "Ever since Mordred was a little boy. Merlin heard Mordred calling in his thoughts. He called him 'Emrys'. Only people with magic can communicate with each other through thought language, so Mordred had to have it too. How could I explain how I knew Mordred had magic without revealing Merlin's secret?" Gaius had his words spoken to the king. "You must have many questions. What exactly would you like to know?"

Arthur pondered briefly and then asked: "Merlin is considered by the Druids to be a powerful sorcerer, also known as Emrys. What makes Merlin so special?"  
Gaius raised his shoulder apologetically and explained: "It's not easy to explain. I have to go further into this. The best way to begin is to start with how I got to know Merlin. I received a letter from Hunith. She hoped that I could take Merlin in and guide him. His announced arrival was known to me, but I forgot that day that he was supposed to come. I was looking for a book high up on the bookshelf when he approached me. I lost my balance, fell several meters to the floor and suddenly landed softly in my bed. This could not have happened at all, because the bed would have been several meters away. Merlin first denied that he had anything to do with it. When he arrived, he saw that a magician had been executed and denied that he had anything to do with it. While eating, however, I intentionally knocked over a bucket of water and it suddenly stopped moving. When Merlin saw the look on my face, the bucket still fell to the ground rattling. I immediately wanted to know which magician he had studied with and how he did magic without using words and spells. He said he had never learned from anyone. He had been born that way. I could hardly believe it. I had never seen anything like it before. To control magic only with thoughts and feelings, that could not work and yet I had seen it in that moment. I had not seen any words or sweeping gestures in Merlin's magic, only the golden flash of his eyes convinced me that it had to be magic. Most wizards don't have much magic and through certain rituals and spells they can create spells. But magic is not a decision, either you have this talent or you don't. The talents often differ in their expression and direction. Some magicians have a special talent for healing spells, others have visions that show the future. Often you have no choice, because you were born as a magician and you don't decide to be one. Only if your talent is very low, you can make a conscious decision not to use magic. However, if you are gifted or punished with a strong talent, you can only learn to use it in the best possible way.  
Arthur frowned. "What do you mean by that?" he asked Gaius interrupting.

"The girl Tea is a sorceress with the gift of clairvoyance. She is still young and yet she often gives the impression of being much older. She has visions of the future. These visions are not about how the weather will be the next day, but the visions are mostly about pain, death and destruction. So already as a little girl she had to learn either to suppress the visions or to live with them and use them. She was never asked if she wanted to become a psychic. She became one because she had the ability to do so. And if you now object that she could suppress the visions, then believe me, it is not so easy. Certain visions just can't be suppressed and still reach the visionary whether she wants to or not," Gaius concluded.  
"Does Merlin have visions, too?" Arthur asked with concern in his voice.

Gaius nodded. Seeing Arthur's questioning gaze, he explained: "Merlin has visions, but rather rarely. You will remember the Crystal of Neahtid. It is a magical object and an artifact of the Old Religion. Particularly powerful magicians, such as Merlin, can see into the future, present and past through it. He possesses the power of prediction."  
"How exactly do these visions work? Does it matter how I act, since the vision will happen in any case," Arthur asked shocked.  
"Yes and no. Yes, the scene shown will probably occur exactly as you see it, but the meaning, the context of the scene can be completely different. Merlin once saw in a vision how Morgana would kill Uther. He saw an ornate dagger in Morgana's hand and how Uther, with eyes wide with terror, would wake from his sleep. The vision occurred, but with the difference that Uther awoke not by a fatal dagger thrust, but by an explosion that Merlin had caused to stop Morgana from killing him."  
"Why did Merlin protect the King? Even though he was my father, I realize all the more how blinded he was by hatred," Arthur asked himself rather than his counterpart.  
Gaius waited until the king looked into his eyes and replied, "Because of you.  
"Because of me? I don't understand that," Arthur admitted in amazement.  
"You needed your father. You were not yet ready to become king yourself, so Merlin protected Uther to protect you, too, so that you could become the king you are now. There was a comforting silence in the room.

"So people cannot choose to be wizards, either they have magic or they don't. And receiving visions can be stressful and sometimes useful, but it is also no guarantee that you can change the future in your own interest, because the vision is often misinterpreted and Merlin, who is a powerful wizard, not only protected me for years, but even my father, who would have executed him immediately. Do I know enough about magic now?"  
Gaius could hardly suppress a laugh and replied: "You probably never know enough about magic. Even scholars who have studied magic all their lives do not know everything about it. One of the reasons Merlin was so successful in protecting you was because he had read up in books again and again. Yes, I own several books that have escaped purification. Furthermore, your father did not destroy all books and magical objects. He kept them safely locked away deep inside the castle. There is a hidden room in the library where many magical, but also dangerous treasures are stored. But promise me that you will never go there alone. Only the touch of a wrong item can enchant you at best and kill you at worst. Merlin once freed a goblin by mistake and he took my body in his possession to get a lot of gold. Merlin was almost executed for the goblin's crimes.  
"How could Merlin save you alone?" Arthur asked, astonished.  
Gaius smiled and replied: "He did not save me alone. Gwen helped him. They injected me with a poison that forced the goblin to kill my

to leave the body. Merlin locked him in a lead box and at the last second they were able to infuse me with the antidote. The culprit, who had enchanted you as well, was presented to Uther and Merlin was pardoned. The fact that you occasionally gave out an 'ee-ah' even after the goblin was captured was more Merlin's fault, since he found it just too funny. Gaius smiled and looked apologetically at Arthur.  
Arthur, too, could laugh about it in retrospect. In his thoughts he was with Merlin and wondered if he had already questioned the prisoner with Mordred. Suddenly something occurred to him. "You have magic too! Why didn't my father have you executed," Arthur asked emphatically.  
Gaius pulled a tortured face. "Yes, I have magic, too. I swore to your father I would never use it again. I was very close friends with your father at the time and he allowed me to continue as court physician."  
"There's more to this, isn't there?" Arthur asked.  
Gaius nodded, but said: "Yes, but please accept this answer for now. To explain the exact circumstances of that time would take a lot of time and would open up old wounds again".  
Arthur nodded and listened to him. He was almost glad about this answer, because with the present news he already had more than enough food for thought. He made his way to the throne room where his wife was already sitting to prepare the next council meeting.


	28. Lessons and Changes

Merlin was on his way back because he had already looked for the prisoner when he met Sir Mordred. He joined him in silence and together they went back down into the dungeon vaults. When they wanted to send the guards away, they refused, as they were admonished to obey only orders from the king or the head of the castle guard. Merlin quickly sent a messenger to Warrick, who quickly entered the dungeon. Merlin briefly explained that Sir Mordred had official permission from the king to speak to the prisoner alone. Warrick suggested that the guards be positioned outside the closed door of the dungeon and he could keep Merlin company here. Meanwhile Mordred became impatient and just nodded to finally get the conversation over with. The guards left the dungeon and Warrick unlocked Mordred's cell, locked it again and went with Merlin a few meters away from the cell.  
"How is it that you accompany the knight," Warrick asked after a few minutes of silence.  
Merlin just shrugged his shoulders to answer.  
"You're friends, I suppose," Warrick continued to drill.

Merlin snorted and said, "That's not quite the answer.  
Warrick was disappointed. He had already suspected that perhaps Sir Mordred was Merlin's friendly wizard. He couldn't make sense of Merlin's presence or the absence of other knights. Prisoners were never interrogated alone. This was only the case when the conversations could become personal, so Sir Mordred knew the prisoner.  
"Sir Mordred and the prisoner are no strangers to each other, right?" he guessed aloud.  
Merlin felt compelled to answer this. If he would not answer at all, this could also be seen as confirmation. "That is hard to say. Sir Mordred has apparently not seen Kara for some time and who knows how she has changed. Yes, he recognized her and she recognized him, but I think that was it. We have to find out if she was cursed or blackmailed. She's more likely to reveal something to a familiar face than a stranger." Merlin hoped to remove any possible doubt he might have had about Sir Mordred.  
He heard Mordred suddenly speak to him in his thoughts: "Merlin, I am fine. Give me five more minutes. Unfortunately, I see no signs that she was cursed. It seems that she acted of her own free will and wants to punish Arthur for Uther's crimes. Furthermore, she claims that Arthur too, under the leadership of Uther druids and sorcerers, has brought death and pain. It does not matter to her that Arthur has not executed a wizard since his reign. She smells everywhere only treason and also the change of the law is in her eyes only a deceitful trick to lure out all people with magic and then kill them. Her parents were killed in a robbery some years ago. She blames Arthur for this as well.

Warrick could observe Merlin's attention being taken up by something, but he couldn't see what it was. In the direction Merlin was staring, you could only see the dungeon wall. "Merlin?" he asked about it.  
Merlin's gaze refocused and he looked at Warrick. "Yes?" he asked back.  
"Shouldn't we check if the knight is okay?", Warrick expressed his concern.  
"I think everything will be fine. We haven't heard any strange noises and I don't want to interrupt the possible conversation. If the knight does not come of his own accord in a few minutes, perhaps it would be appropriate after all."  
Just as Warrick was about to suggest again that he should check on the knight, Sir Mordred came from the direction of the cell with a petrified expression. Warrick looked stunned. He had the door himself locked again. How could the knight get out of the cell without his help? Merlin saw the distrust in the eyes of the castle guard. As Sir Mordred was about to pass Warrick, the guard stood in his way. Merlin used the distraction and with a glow in his eyes, the cell key from Warrick's coat pocket floated into Mordred's hand. The key was reflexively grabbed by him. Mordred's gaze wandered to his hand as Warrick simultaneously asked, "How did you open the cell door?  
Warrick followed Mordred's gaze and saw the key in his hand. Mordred quickly recalled and, turning to the guard, said accusingly, "You gave it to me yourself after you locked it. I don't know why, but next time you should keep it. After all, the prisoner has magic, and one should be careful. I did not expect her to attack me, but you never know.  
Mordred returned the key to the guard without comment and left. Merlin glanced apologetically at Warrick and followed the knight. Warrick stayed behind in bewilderment and agreed with the knight that his behavior was reckless. That was not his usual way. To be on the safe side he went back to the cell and found that the prisoner in the cell and the door was properly locked.

Merlin and Mordred talked quietly on the way to the throne room.  
"Thank you, Merlin. I opened and closed the door with magic in my mind, without really noticing it. I think I also wanted to prove to Kara that I could still use magic. I only have the suspicion that she is in contact with Morgana, but she has not confirmed this specifically. She is definitely not powerful enough to hide a curse behind a curse and keep it up for that long. So she was only the messenger, but still she is not innocent. Although she has changed so much to the negative, I don't know if I can bear her death," Mordred confessed tortured.  
Merlin stepped in front of Mordred, forcing him not only to stop, but to look into Merlin's eyes. "We'll find a way to keep Kara from being executed and still not harm Arthur or Camelot."  
Mordred looked at Merlin hopefully. He could almost believe it, but he still worried about Kara and also about Arthur. Even if they stopped Kara from hurting Arthur, who stopped him from piercing Arthur himself with a sword?  
They resumed their journey and reached the throne room. They saw that they were probably the last, for the heavy doors closed behind them. As soon as they had taken their place, Arthur opened the session with these words: "You are welcome. The last days were very eventful. What is there to report?"  
A knight stood up and expressed his concern that many mounted soldiers had been seen in the neighboring country of Essetir and that the inhabitants of the outer villages had left their homes to seek shelter with other relatives. "There are still no exact reports of assaults or injuries. It seems that this was merely a precautionary measure."  
Arthur raised his voice again: "I thank you. Yes, we definitely have to keep an eye on the borders, even though our attention is here right now, as we are dealing with a major change in the law, no enemy should take this as an invitation to attack us. We must always be united and strong in our actions. I have several changes in mind and would like to hear your honest opinion on them. The first matter concerns the law text, in which every magician automatically deserves to die only because of his talent, whether old or young, woman or man, regardless of whether this person is practicing magic at all. Before we vote on whether this law should be abolished, I would first like to ask for your comments.

Sir Leon stood up immediately and said, "People should be judged by their actions and not by their possible skills. I advocate the abolition of the law."  
There were murmurs of agreement in the room. Occasionally a frown or a shake of the head could be observed. Since no other knight stood up, Arthur called for a vote and proudly saw that almost all knights were for abolition and only a few abstained.  
"I hereby officially announce that from now on the possession of magical abilities will not be punished and that the aforementioned passage of the law will be completely deleted.  
He waited until Merlin had written this down on a parchment and the king put his signature including a wax seal under the resolution. Arthur noticed that his servant's hand trembled heavily while writing the document.  
"We have often suffered because of magic in the past, so I think it is important that the use of magic that harms other people continues to be met with severe punishment.  
Another knight stood up and said: "I am glad that magicians do not get a free pass for their actions. It is not for nothing that magic has been equated with betrayal until today. Wizards have a lot of power and this power can easily be misused. We need hard laws to protect ourselves and our families."  
Then Sir Percival stood up and said: "Yes, we need hard laws, but what sense do laws make if they are hard but not fair and absolutely inappropriate to the violation? Suppose a witch gives a rash to an unsympathetic neighbor's face. By doing so, the witch has definitely harmed another person and deserves to be punished, but does she really deserve to die right away?  
The knight sat down again and a loud discussion broke out. Suddenly Merlin cleared his throat loudly and all eyes were on him. He waited until Arthur nodded at him, then he took the floor: "In the past, death sentences and executions were pronounced very quickly. Sometimes days or even hours later it was found that the accused was not guilty after all, or that death in hindsight had been an untenable decision. I am not saying that some people may not deserve to die, but if a death sentence is signed, the signer must be absolutely sure that the person deserves it - there must be no last doubts. Merlin stepped back again, fell silent and tried not to look in the direction of Sir Mordred at that moment.  
Immediately it became loud again in the hall. The strongest was the fear of imprisoned magicians. Gwen was getting a bit too much of that. She also rose and immediately everyone in the hall fell silent. "I understand the fear of magicians. The quick executions of magicians were based, among other things, on the fact that they possessed magic and the longer they were held captive, the more likely they were to escape. But in this discussion it is forgotten that magic in general is no longer prohibited. Magic for protection, defense or healing should be allowed and therefore good people with magical abilities could help us in the fight against evil, i.e. misguided people who want to harm others". Gwen sat down and a crackling silence could be heard in the room.  
A knight started laughing, stood up and said, "What magician would be stupid enough to travel to Camelot and help us? Every magician who has set foot in Camelot to this day has been captured and executed."  
Sir Gwaine stood up and replied, "You really think the sorcerers are stupid, don't you? They do not walk around proclaiming loudly that they can do magic. Some of you have certainly learned to keep your abilities secret and to adapt. If there are wizards in Camelot who could live happily, I can imagine that they would want to help to show that not every wizard is automatically bad.  
The same Knight replied, "What makes you so sure Sir Gwaine? Do you have such as magical abilities yourself?"  
Sir Gwaine grinned mischievously and replied, "If that were the case, don't you think I would have adapted brilliantly? He scratched his chin and continued: "On the other hand, I would probably have cured my headache after a visit to a tavern and saved myself the ridicule of a black eye, wouldn't I?  
In the relaxed mood, a very old knight, who had already lost a lot of white hair, suddenly stood up and said quietly with drops of sweat on his forehead: "There are magicians in Camelot.

It became very quiet in the room and all eyes were fixed on the older knight. He swallowed and gathered courage to continue: "There are magicians in Camelot. They have always existed and will probably always exist. They have learned to live here undiscovered. They had to learn that you can hardly trust anybody and yet they could not completely break off contact with others, knowing that they had a responsibility through their gifts. A responsibility that they take very seriously - no matter what the dangers. He swallowed again and although he did not find the courage to look at the king, his eyes still sought the queen, "My grandson was dying a few months ago. He had got a high fever and the healer in the village did not know what to do. He gave the little boy perhaps two or three days to live. I begged him that I would pay everything and do everything if he would only save my little one. You could see the man's inner struggle and finally he told me a place where I would get help. In my desperation, I asked what could help him now. Thereupon the healer said that the only thing that could save him was magic and even this was uncertain. You know that my grandson is alive. Yes, I went to the place in question and asked for help. I could not believe that I was not sent away. I was still wearing the colors of a knight of Camelot, since I immediately went to that place with my grandson without hesitation. I was blindfolded so that I could not recognize any faces, even the voices sounded strangely distorted. It was an act of desperation. I did not care if I would survive this, the main thing was that there was a chance that he would be helped. I suddenly fell asleep and when I woke up, my grandson was lying next to me with rosy cheeks. Only a part of my money in the bag was missing. After a few days I went back to the place I had mentioned and found it abandoned. The old knight sat down again. He had become very pale in the meantime and did not know whether he had made a mistake and perhaps put his grandson in danger.  
Gwen had maintained eye contact with Sir Boran throughout the confession and now turned to Arthur, whispering softly. Merlin also bowed his head, which brought him close to the whisper. "I would have done the same for you, Arthur, even if the penalty was death."  
The King looked at his wife and nodded. "Yes, I would have done the same. I was also prepared to cure my father with magic, even though this probably failed because of Morgana's intervention, and yet I do not quite know how to react to this situation in front of the knights."  
Merlin then whispered: "Let your knights decide with you. According to the old law Sir Boran and his grandson would have to be executed, according to the new law nobody knows this yet and this has to be clarified. Perhaps the information that even Uther Gaius once desperately asked Gaius to save Morgana by magic when everything else could not save her anymore will help you.  
"Even my father, for whom this law was so important, broke it in order to save a loved one after all," Arthur marveled. Merlin nudged Arthur, because the king had not noticed that he had probably said his last words louder than intended.  
He lifted his eyes and said, "Magicians live well in Camelot and it is up to us to gain their trust and help us catch dark magicians. An offence has just been confessed."

The older knight, who had made up his mind a bit, became chalky pale again.  
"My father's laws have long since become outdated and I suggest that we discuss how we want to deal with this situation today. I suspect that almost everyone would have acted like Sir Boran, and yet the dilemma remains that magic was forbidden and punishable by death. Laws make sense and they serve to prevent chaos from breaking out. How shall we decide, Knights of Camelot," Arthur exclaimed.  
The elder knight said in a thin voice: "I, Sir Boran, willingly accept any punishment. Since my grandson is too small to make a conscious decision, I will gladly take his punishment upon myself as well."  
Sir Percival then said: "My friend, although I doubt that this is necessary, I am against a possible death penalty. It was brave of you to tell us this incident, and it gives us hope that we can work and live with magicians in the future. The elder knight nodded gratefully at Sir Percival.  
The queen raised the word and said: "I think I express the thoughts of all those present here that a death penalty is not at all up for discussion, but there must be a consequence of the law breaking.  
A pale, grumpy knight asked challengingly: "How do we know that the grandson has not been bewitched by an evil demon and will not bring death and damnation upon us in some time?  
King Arthur fixed the knight and rummaged in his mind for the name. "Sir Hirar, it seems to me that such a procedure on the part of the sorcerers is not logical, but a miraculous healing can look suspicious. In order to remove any doubts completely, I suggest, if there are no objections, that my court physician may examine the grandson and may repeat this at his discretion.  
Gwen waited a few moments, but when no one spoke up again, she asked in the round: "Furthermore, we need an appropriate punishment for Sir Boran.

Sir Leon hesitantly expressed his idea: "Perhaps he could act as a mediator between sorcerers and the Knights of Camelot. The sorcerers or druids have a great distrust of knights, which unfortunately was also strongly founded in the past". Sir Leon's face turned white for a moment and got small red spots. He blinked, grasped himself and continued: "But if they recognize in Sir Boran the grandfather concerned about his grandson, this connection could be developed and strengthened.  
Arthur was eager to make a decision on this incident today, but he did not want to rush this event, so he asked that everyone had a short time to think about what was said or to exchange ideas in conversation. He then looked at Merlin questioningly. Gwen had also changed her gaze from Arthur to Merlin. Merlin could hardly describe the chaos in his head, the joy and hope in his heart. "I, ..., if, ... I can't think clearly right now and I'm not at all objective about this case, but a mediator who can bring knights and wizards closer ... if this really works", Merlin broke blissfully and got a dreamy expression.  
The queen's soft giggle made him find his way back to reality.  
"The idea with the mediator is good, but one alone will not be enough. For decades, magicians were outlawed, so it takes more than just a knight to mediate. Furthermore, not only knights should be able to become mediators, but everyone who is well-disposed towards Camelot and the wizards at the same time. I would also not rule out that Sir Leon would be another good choice for this position. In the long run, not only healers, but also wizards with fighting skills should be welcomed to Camelot. If I have permission, I would like to write to a friend and invite him here. Even scholars or druids who have studied magic and healing over many years should be able to pay and be respected. Merlin broke off when he realized that Arthur could no longer suppress a grinning shake of the head.  
"It's really a satisfaction to hear you come up with ideas that haven't been thought through in the smallest detail. Usually I'm the one who throws ideas into the room, which are illuminated by you from all sides to rub my nose in the weak spots.

"If you hadn't interrupted Merlin, he would probably talk enthusiastically for days about possible changes and innovations and jump from one idea to the next," Gwen kept teasing him.  
Merlin looked embarrassed on the ground. On the one hand, he was happy about the open attitude of the royal couple, on the other hand he was almost ashamed of his euphoric outburst of possibilities. As the conversations in the room slowly subsided, Arthur called for a vote. The grandson of Sir Boran should have the pleasure of being examined personally by the court physician and not only Sir Boran, but also to Sir Leon's surprise, he himself should act as a mediator between knights and wizards or druids. Sir Boran was relieved. He had not believed that he was facing the death penalty, but he had already feared a prison sentence or something similar. He did not know how he could become a good mediator, but he wanted to do his best. He owed thanks not only to the magicians who had saved his grandson's life, but also to King Arthur, who had awarded him a special position and at the same time had given his grandson excellent medical care. Immediately after the council meeting, he would visit his healer, report on the events and ask for a meeting with the druids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo in the next time I have more time to write and update this, also remember to stay safe and do what you like:)
> 
> If you are interested into some art like drawing stuff just ask me about any drawing topic you like to know
> 
> And heres a Netflix series tip for you, go and watch Outer Banks, I literally was watching this series last night and coulnd stop xD


	29. Gili

Only after some knights had sought the conversation with the queen or with the king, finally both could withdraw into the royal chamber. When the door behind them closed, Arthur said: "At last. Finally alone and no longer having to make big decisions, no more worried minds to calm down, no more listening to crazy ideas. I have rarely seen the knights so talkative."  
Gwen sympathetically said: "Yes, it's not just you who is very upset by the topic, it's a big change for others, too.  
Gwen smiled, and Arthur wanted to know why.  
"It's Merlin. He is almost as carefree as before, but somehow detached, as if the responsibility of the whole world no longer rests on his shoulders. By the way, the idea with the magicians, who also have fighting skills, was very inventive."  
"I don't think he was as inventive as you think. If I understood it correctly, he knows at least one magician friend who also has a command of martial arts. He can't mean Sir Mordred, because he doesn't need to send him a letter, since he can contact him directly. Do you have an idea who he could mean?"  
"No, I haven't the faintest idea," she said shrugging her shoulders. The rumbling in the hallway and the opening of the door interrupted further speculation, as the said person stumbled in the door with dinner.  
Merlin bowed and greeted her with: "My queen, my king. I am glad to see you well up. You must be hungry, since lunch has been cancelled. The kitchen went to extra effort this evening and cook Berta supervised everything with Argus eyes. Today we have roasted pigeons with fried potatoes and tomatoes. And believe me, it tastes delicious, because I was already allowed to try my own small portion."  
"Gwen, I really don't know if I can bear such an overjoyed Merlin. He is polite - Gwen, that's creepy," Arthur noted.  
Gwen shook her head laughing, patted her husband on the shoulder and sat down at the table Merlin was already on the blanket. Arthur also sat down and began to eat. While eating, he could watch Merlin cleaning up the room with a broad grin. His wife was right, he moved a little more upright, more unbiased. He was happy for Merlin, even if the release of magic made him nauseous. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but Merlin's euphoric ideas were really good. He absolutely had to go to the library and ask his librarian what he knew about magic, if he knew other scholars you could contact and if there were books about it. He would have preferred a book entitled 'Magic for Beginners - Everything you need to know on ten pages'.  
He sighed and Merlin then asked, "Can I do something for you, Arthur?  
He looked up and was about to shake his head, when he heard himself say: "Which friend with fighting skills did you just talk about?  
Gwen also interrupted her meal and looked at Merlin curiously.  
Merlin promptly replied: "Gilli!  
Arthur first looked at Merlin, then at Gwen and again at Merlin.

"As a young wizard, Gilli came to Camelot years ago to participate in a combat tournament in which your father also took part. He was young, rather slender and not taken seriously. However, he had inherited a ring from his father, which bundled and strengthened his magical powers. To be able to handle such a ring is a sign of a high talent. I was in the armoury to mend your armour and two tournament participants came and bullied me. Either because I was your servant or because they simply enjoyed torturing the supposedly weak. Gilli intervened and asked the man to lie down on the whip. The man didn't listen, of course, and got a little beating from Gilli, who only used a touch of his magic, since he knew how to use the sword and the whip. He did not know me. He only helped me because he knew the feeling of being 'piss-plied'. He was rather inconspicuous and kind, but the fight and the power changed him. Merlin stared at himself and for a moment he was deeply lost in his thoughts. "He used magic to fight the enemy in front of everyone, but nobody seemed to notice. But when he healed a wound with the ring in the castle, the guards noticed this and he lost the ring when he escaped. Gaius and I found it and I went to see Gilli. At first he didn't believe me that he didn't have to be afraid of me, because I would not betray him. I gave him back the ring and he told me about his father. This one was

was a gifted magician, but he never used his magic. He was afraid that Uther might learn of his magic. Even when he was attacked by three men, he did not use the ring and was killed. I wanted to return the favour. Gilli had defended me in front of the other two tournament fighters and I wanted to save his life. Even though there were no rules in this tournament, magic was still forbidden. He wanted to use all of his art - including magic - because he believed that without magic, he was a nobody, worth nothing. Even at the risk of being executed, he did not want to drop out of the tournament. In the next round he killed one of the men who had harassed me and also him in the fight. He never wanted to kill anyone, he just wanted to be respected. He had already made the decision to drop out of the tournament when he received the recognition of the Tarvenen visitors".  
Arthur interrupted Merlin. "I remember how hard it was to let my own father win back then." He took a short break, grabbed his head and exclaimed: "I have complained about how hard it is to live with someone who always thinks he is the best."  
Merlin smiled and said, "Yes, and I thought it would be rather annoying." He grinned even wider and Arthur finally understood.  
"You spoke from personal experience. I always thought I was the best, but you could have defeated me and my father in the blink of an eye," Arthur replied half-asked.  
Merlin merely confirmed this with a nod and Arthur just looked at his servant in shock.  
"What happened next," Gwen asked.

"Since Arthur let his father win, Gilli and the King were in the final. Gaius wanted to warn the King, but I wanted to talk to Gilli again. I had Gaius, who taught me the right way to use magic - Gilli had never had anyone like that. I wanted to prevent Uther or Gilli from finding death. I confronted him. His fellow men finally showed him respect. He could not imagine that anyone else could feel as he did. He was finally no longer a nobody, no longer pushed around, no one made fun of him anymore. He was finally no longer lonely. When you are more powerful than anyone you know and you live a shadowy existence and never reveal your whole self, it makes you very lonely. You know that you are something special, but you always have to look like a fool... So that he really understood that I knew exactly how he was doing, I showed him that I too could do magic. I used the same spell that I used to show you, Gwen, my magic - a bright flame that floated on the inside of my hand. Unfortunately, this was the confirmation for Gilli that he had to fight Uther. Because of Uther, so many of us had died. How many more were to die? For him it was time for the wizards to finally strike back. Gilli should learn that magic should be used for good and that it was not there to flatter his vanity. He would not apologize for who he was, he would not hide any further. He wanted to stand up for himself and for people like me. I did not know what to do. I couldn't betray Gilli or watch Uther be killed by magic. So I called Kilgharrah and asked his advice. The dragon prophesied that if you, Arthur, saw your father killed by magic, you too would condemn magic. I waited for the finale and Gilli appeared. He was fighting Uther and tried to kill him. I used magic so that his shield fell out of his hand and he could not apply the deadly sword stroke. I intervened again when Uther was lying on the ground with only one shield. Gilli looked for my eye contact again and finally he listened to my head shaking. After that I sought him out again. He thought I had betrayed him, but he had betrayed us. Actually he had already won, but he wanted revenge - he wanted to kill the king anyway. That had nothing to do with honor. Magic should not be used for fighting to gain glory. Then Gilli finally understood his father. He wasn't afraid of magic, but of what it could do, how it could change you, if you let it. Gilli realized that his father was strong, not cowardly. I told him of my hope that magic might be allowed to happen again one day, that we might meet again and finally be free.

For a long time it was quiet in the royal chambers. Merlin hung on to his thoughts and did not notice how Arthur and Gwen communicated with small gestures. Gwen pointed to Merlin with a challenging gesture. Arthur understood the hint, but didn't know what to say to his friend - again. Arthur couldn't let go of the following sentence: "When you are more powerful than all the others you know". He pondered for a while until he realized that this aspect made him feel like Merlin.  
"I understand how lonely you can get when you are more powerful than everyone else. The office of king is usually a very lonely one. Rarely do you know whether you are being offered help just for your own sake or whether it is a calculating act. Power instills respect, but also fear in other people. I have often wondered where your self-assurance and loose mouth come from. I remember when you challenged me at our second meeting. You knew by now that I was the prince, and yet you called me a royal ass. Even at the prospect of a fight with me you did not become submissive or back down. If I remember correctly, you even warned me against a fight with you. You could have easily defeated me if you didn't have to use magic in secret."  
Gwen interrupted Arthur with her own concerns: "I can hardly imagine what it was like for you to be so powerful and still be perceived as a fool by your outside world. How could you endure this for so long?"

Merlin looked at his queen with moist eyes and answered in a husky voice: "There are several reasons for this. For one, I had Gaius, who taught me and also praised me. In his eyes I was no fool, but a young magician who did everything in his power to protect his friends and to see magic freed sometime. Also the encounter with other druids was frightening on one side and comforting on the other side. The conversations were frightening because of the expectations that were placed in me and comforting because I didn't have to pretend and my magic was accepted and respected. The fact that I was perceived as a fool by the outside world certainly saved my life more than once. When I wanted to save you, Gwen, because you were accused of magic, Arthur could not imagine this, defended me, because he saw in me only an idiot in love. Furthermore, my fighting skills are really not outstanding, because I never had to learn to fight properly. I just didn't have time to practice with the sword, because it was more important and effective to protect Arthur and learn more spells. Even though I was often said to be lying on the ground or apparently hiding when fighting, this was an excellent position to be able to cast spells unobtrusively. I also never threw myself into the fighting action and often stayed behind so that I could keep an eye on the fighting scene and quickly intervene with magic unnoticed. Of course, it wasn't always easy not to scream in your face sometimes, Arthur, that I can understand you very well when the responsibility of a whole kingdom lies on your own shoulders, because I feel the same way. But what good would that have done me? I could have given myself a short breath, but I didn't want to risk the possible consequences of such an outburst. I wanted to prevent at all costs that I could no longer be at your side. You may be great with the sword, Arthur, but you're not usually good with magic.  
"How come it never occurred to you to overthrow me or my father and rule by yourself?" Arthur asked for a hamlet.  
Merlin made a defensive gesture and said, "No, I'd rather leave the crown and all the obligations and constraints to you. My fate is to protect you. Besides, your people love you, your knights are absolutely loyal to you and you are a fair king. It would be pure selfishness and not for the good of Camelot to usurp the throne. I am perfectly content to act in the background, to ward off misfortune from you and Camelot and to see you in the center of the action. I share your desire for peace and also my vision of you freeing magic is within my grasp. I also believe that you will unite Albion. I hope that you can enjoy the fruits of your influence until... until old age," Merlin ended abruptly.

Gwen watched Merlin closely and asked, "What's bothering you? She saw pain in Merlin's eyes.  
Gwen and also Arthur waited patiently until Merlin replied quietly, "I am afraid. I am afraid that I will fail. Fail and not be able to protect you. I can think of nothing worse than watching you die. I wouldn't know how to bear it and how to live with this guilt."  
Merlin stared at his hands and could not force a word over his lips.  
Arthur bridged the distance to Merlin and put one hand on his shoulder. Merlin looked into Arthur's eyes in surprise when he said: "Merlin, you may be a powerful magician, but you are not omnipotent. At some point my time will be over. I have only a hunch of how much sooner death could have overtaken me, and I am very grateful to you for making it possible for me both to become King of Camelot and to crown Gwen, the love of my life, as Queen. Even if I should at some point cease to be alive, I am in your hearts, and I look with confidence to the future of Camelot with Gwen as Queen and you, Merlin, as sorcerer".  
Meanwhile, Gwen had tears in her eyes as she could not imagine a time without Arthur. She doubted that she had the strength to rule without Arthur, and she did not want to experience it at all.  
"You have had a vision in which you see my death, am I right?", Arthur asked suddenly.  
Merlin's eyes widened in horror and he was about to start denying it when he saw Arthur's gaze. "I... I don't know what to answer," Merlin finally said and lowered his eyes. He heard a helpless sound from Gwen, but he could not look up and risk Arthur seeing the truth in his eyes.  
"Don't worry, I won't ask when, or where, or even who is going to kill me."  
"I didn't say that..." Merlin tried to save the day.  
"No, Merlin, you didn't, but you didn't immediately deny my question. You saw my death in a vision and therefore you were very afraid of failing. I know too little about visions. But your fear suggests that they always happen, and that there is not much that can be done about it. All the more reason to use the time I have left wisely."  
"Have you no fear of your own death?" Merlin asks in amazement.  
"No, I am not afraid of my own death. But I am very much afraid of experiencing the death of Gwen, or your death. One should not mourn the dead, but the living, who feel the loss of the human being in their heart. That is why I am so grateful that you recognized so much earlier what an extraordinary woman Guinevere is, that you count her among your friends, and that she was under your protection long before she became queen".  
Gwen had to search for the right words until she finally asked Merlin, "Why have you always protected me?  
Merlin looked at Gwen without understanding and replied, "Of course I protected you. You have been one of my closest friends for years. But that's just the one reason. I have not only protected Arthur, but you, his heart. After the incident with Lancelot's shadow, I could observe how unhappy Arthur was. His heart bled because you were no longer at his side. They say that Arthur and I are like two sides of the same coin, but they didn't consider how important you are for his salvation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading


	30. The hiden space

After the stirring conversation with Merlin, Arthur found no peace. He wasn't afraid of his own death, but he certainly didn't want to leave Gwen alone. Somehow, he hardly noticed that his feet carried him to the library. It didn't surprise him that the librarian was also here and had lit some candles that gave him light while reading.  
When the librarian Geoffrey of Monmouth heard a noise, he interrupted his reading and was surprised to find that the king was paying him a visit. He lifted himself out of his armchair with his old bones and greeted the king with these words: "My king. I am glad to see you. How can I be of service to you?"  
"I'm sure you can. I am looking for books on magic and visions."  
The old man became restless. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead and his lower lip began to twitch.  
The king saw that the man suddenly became very nervous. Arthur knew that Geoffrey did not often leave the library, and so it was possible that the poor man was in mortal fear, as he might not have noticed the impending upheaval. "Changes are coming. Unfortunately, my knowledge of magic is very limited and patchy at best. As soon as magic is permitted again, I think..." He broke off and watched anxiously the color of his counterpart's face.  
"Magic... allowed?", he could only understand from the whispered words. Arthur began to doubt whether it was really a good idea to allow magic, when a scholar like Geoffrey upset this. The king used gentle force to make the man sit down again and take a sip from his wine glass. "You don't think it's a good idea to free magic," he asked after the librarian had calmed down.  
"It doesn't matter how I think about it, you are the king," he replied evasively.  
"Please, I am still young and unfortunately I lack experience. I know far too little about all this, so I urgently need to change something about it. You are a scholar and a well-read man. I would really like to hear what you think about it," Arthur confessed uncertainly.  
"It would probably be a great enrichment, but it would bring with it many dangers. There are always pros and cons, and these need to be weighed up. I no longer believed that I might be able to live to see magic being allowed again. I have read a lot of books in my life and there were many of them dealing with magic - some even with visions and prophecies. I must confess that I could persuade Uther not to destroy all the books of magic. There were so many treasures among them that I simply could not destroy them. Uther accepted my argument that we would have to keep some of them to be better prepared for magical attacks. Of course you will not find a single spell book in this library. This part of the library is freely accessible to everyone and I wanted to avoid being burned at the stake. Uther made it clear to me that I had to lock these books away in front of everyone. If I did not succeed in this, I would pay for it with my life. At first I did not know how to solve this dilemma. On the one hand, the hiding place had to be safe, on the other hand, it could not be too far away so that the books remained accessible. I had often noticed that the library seemed too small. One day I was in the east wing and a cramp wanted to crawl into my leg. I leaned against a shelf looking for support and triggered a hidden mechanism. The whole shelf revolved around itself and I suddenly found myself in a hidden room that was not large but had enough space for my books. Over the years I rarely visited the place. Usually I would quickly put another valuable book or magical item on a shelf and quickly leave the room again. There is neither a certain order nor are dust and cobwebs removed. Sometimes I had the feeling that someone was knocking on wood, but lately I haven't heard anything. Meanwhile the room is very full and I have the feeling that a visit could be dangerous. I don't dare to enter the room anymore, because I always get a strange feeling when I stand in front of the hidden entrance door", the librarian finished his lecture.

Arthur asked curiously: "Where exactly is this room?"  
Geoffrey did not want to reveal this secret so easily and he did not want to have to go into this hidden room under any circumstances, but on the other hand he could not leave this question unanswered for the king. "He is in the east wing. I will show you the entrance, but I would suggest that someone accompanies you and I stay outside the hiding place. Just in case help needs to be brought. If you allow me, I would suggest Gaius as an escort, for example, as he is probably better able to judge which items are dangerous and which are not. Should I send for him? It is already later, but Gaius will probably still be up.  
Arthur just nodded impatiently. He was annoyed that he couldn't go into the room alone, but he didn't want to turn down the advice either. Perhaps he unleashed another evil curse or released a magical creature. In the time he had to wait, he tried to imagine which objects were probably hidden in the room. Maybe even one or the other piece looked familiar to him.

Finally he heard footsteps and looked up in surprise when he saw that not only Gaius but also Sir Mordred was following the librarian.  
"My King, you sent for me?" Gaius asked.  
"Yes, I hope I have not woken you from your sleep," Arthur asked with a guilty conscience.  
"No, no, my old bones do not often let me fall asleep quickly. How can I help?"  
Arthur searched for the right words, but he realized that among those present he understood at least magic, a fact that annoyed and unsettled him. He had been prepared all his life to become King of Camelot. Had fought in many battles, had taken part in council meetings and serious decisions, but now he found himself in an area where his ignorance was a clear disadvantage. He chose the direct path and confessed: "I know too little about magic. How can I make meaningful decisions on this subject when I know little about it? It is essential that I equip myself with basic knowledge as quickly as possible and gain insight into magic. Only then can I better assess situations and make decisions based on inner conviction. I have learned that there are books about magic in a hidden room here in the library. Maybe there is a book that answers some questions. Furthermore I would learn more about visions and prophecies - for example how binding or exactly these are." Arthur noticed that Mordred could not suppress a twitch when he heard the words 'visions and prophecies'.  
"This honors you, King Arthur. Most people fear, reject, or even condemn things they do not understand. It is highly advisable not to enter this room alone. Since not only certain artifacts from the old religion can be very dangerous, some books are also equipped with curses. Also Sir Mordred should accompany us as a pure precaution."  
Mordred nodded in agreement. The librarian was relieved to be spared another visit to the room, but he was not really comfortable with the undertaking. He led them into the east wing, explained the mechanism and that the three men had to get close to the shelf. They agreed that Arthur should kick down the shelf to open it and Sir Mordred should intervene if anything unusual happened. A time of half an hour was agreed upon, and that was all the exploration would continue tonight. All three made a surprising noise when the shelf turned with them and they were suddenly in another room.  
"We are fine. As agreed, we will explore the room for half an hour at most," Arthur Geoffrey informed Geoffrey.  
A clear 'Yes, my King.' could be heard from outside.  
The room was dark and filled with various objects. Shelves filled with various books lined the walls

Arthur did not know where to look first. It was not very bright in this room and the dust and cobwebs suggested that no one had been here for a long time. Arthur was about to reach for a crystal that somehow looked familiar to him. But Gaius stopped him. "Forgive me, but I advise you not to touch anything. Please do me a favor and ask me first if an object is harmless. Even a blanket could be enchanted."  
"Do you know what crystals these are? They look familiar to me somehow," the king said with a frown.  
Gaius took a closer look at the two crystals and said with an exclamation: "I was wondering where these crystal chains had gone! It must have been several years ago that we saw these crystals".  
"We?", the king asked.  
"Do you remember the tournament where Sir Gwaine saved your life back then? Two bandits had murdered Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan to take their places in the tournament. They used two swords that looked dull, but were razor sharp.  
Mordred asked in astonishment: "Why didn't anyone recognize that Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan were missing?"  
"These crystals have the power to give you the appearance of the one with whose blood the crystals came into contact. The bandits looked exactly like the murdered knights. Merlin noticed that the knights had changed a lot in their behavior, but they looked just like the two men. Merlin overheard a conversation between the two of them that they wanted to hack you, Arthur, to pieces at the tournament, so Merlin suspected the two of them. In the tournament, Merlin intervened inconspicuously and he helped you by letting one of the two alleged knights fall off his horse. Merlin was very relieved that a new knight was helping you and that his risky intervention with magic was no longer necessary. As you know, this knight was Sir Gwaine.  
Mordred shook his head and asked, "Why didn't those two thugs just curse Arthur?"  
"Cursed? The two men had no magic blood in their veins. They weren't even capable of harming a fly with magic. The power of the spell comes from the crystals themselves, and these were previously activated by a magician," Gaius answered the question.  
"We should slowly sift through the books in this room and decide if one of them meets your needs," Sir Mordred interjected.  
The three men spread out in the room and read different book titles. After Gaius had assured Arthur that the books he had chosen were harmless, he took them and they left the room. The librarian was very relieved when his king stood before him safe and sound again.  
"How many know about this hiding place," Arthur asked the scholar.  
"Well, that is difficult to say. We four know about it. As far as I know, this is all of them."  
"All right, let's keep it that way for now. I am counting on you to know if someone is in the library and comes to this room?", the king asked cuttingly.  
"Certainly."

Gaius, Sir Mordred and Arthur left the library together. Sir Mordred said goodbye relatively quickly and Arthur and Gaius looked after him. Gaius cleared his throat and confessed: "Merlin also knows about this Space."  
"Why am I not surprised?" Arthur replied with a sigh. "How many times have I called Merlin a clumsy oaf or a fool, and I suppose I was the fool all along."  
Gaius gurgled and said softly: "Merlin is sometimes really a clumsy one, after all, it was from this very hidden room that he freed the goblin who caused us quite a bit of trouble.  
Arthur made big eyes and came out: "That was Merlin's fault? I really try to forget the embarrassing situations, but I don't really want to."  
"Please be gentle with him. He then used his magic to undo all the goblin's enchantments," Gaius Merlin tried to defend Merlin.  
"Yes, but the embarrassing memories still remain," Arthur complained.  
Gaius just shrugged his shoulders helplessly and smiled. They said goodbye to each other and Arthur went back to his chamber.

Gwen was already waiting for him with a questioning expression on her face. He reported where he was and especially why he was gone. Gwen smiled insightfully and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at the books as well. What titles did you choose?"  
Gwen began to leaf through the books. The Book of Prophecies' was an appealing title, but it turned out that the different languages and manuscripts were hard to decipher and that it was probably a very old book, so Gwen chose the title 'Prophecies'. When Gwen was already asleep, Arthur took the book out of her hand and carefully put his wife in her bed. He covered her up and thanked her in silence for not excluding Gwen from his life after all. He appreciated her own opinion and her good advice very much. Especially in the present time, when he himself was helpless and overwhelmed, Gwen seemed to him like a gift from heaven. Only slowly did he realize that he should be grateful not only for Gwen, but especially for the loyalty of his servant, friend and magician.


	31. When we first met

"Du bist ein Zauberer!" Stieß Gareth überrascht aus. Er war heute früh auf den Beinen, da er dringend seine Mutter besuchen wollte und sich auch um Sir Gwaine kümmern musste. Er hatte nicht gedacht, dass die Aufgaben eines Knappen so viel Zeit in Anspruch nehmen würden. Eigentlich hatte ein Knappe weit weniger zu tun. Aber er hatte es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, in der Nähe von Berta, Warrick, Tea oder Bronwen zu bleiben und ihnen immer zu helfen, wenn Hilfe benötigt wurde. Er war immer noch erstaunt darüber, wie viel er in den letzten Tagen gelernt hatte und es erfüllte ihn mit Stolz, dass seine Arbeit für etwas zählte. Er war in Gedanken versunken und dachte über Merlins Verhalten und Talente nach, als er plötzlich vor ihm auftauchte und beide einer Kollision kaum entgehen konnten.  
"Du kannst zaubern", rief Gareth überrascht aus und blickte kurz in Merlins Augen.  
Merlin versuchte zu lachen und sagte ablenkend: „Das war keine Magie, sondern jahrelange Übung, um Kollisionen zu vermeiden.  
Gareth hob erneut die Augen und konnte ihn nur anstarren.  
Merlin fühlte sich jetzt noch unbehaglicher. Er wusste nicht, was er sagen sollte Gareth, um seine Schüchternheit und vielleicht sogar seine Angst zu beseitigen.  
Als Gareth plötzlich vor ihm niederkniete, konnte Merlin nur erstaunt fragen: "Was machst du? Verwechseln Sie mich gerade mit Arthur? War Ihre Kopfverletzung doch schlimmer? «  
Gareth schüttelte den Kopf und sagte:» Nein, dank Ihnen geht es mir jetzt gut, und ich verwechsle Sie nicht mit dem König Merlin.  
"Warum hockst du dann auf dem Boden?" Fragte Merlin unentschlossen.  
Sie haben sich nicht nur um meine Kopfverletzung gekümmert und dafür gesorgt, dass ich eine zweite Chance bekam, sondern Sie haben etwas viel Wichtigeres für mich getan.  
“Es war Ihre Arbeit und Ihr Mut, die es Ihnen ermöglichten Machen Sie einen guten Neuanfang in Camelot ", antwortete Merlin.  
" Das mag sein, aber ich weiß jetzt mit Sicherheit, dass ich nur wegen Ihnen kein feiger Mörder geworden bin. Ich kann immer noch in die Augen meiner Mutter schauen und mein Spiegelbild darin tragen ", sagte Gareth leise und sah auf den Boden hinunter.  
Merlin packte Gareth am Arm und zog ihn wieder auf die Füße." Woher kommst du so etwas? "Merlin fing an, ihn abzuwehren.  
Gareth hatte seinen Blick immer noch gesenkt und flüsterte: "Nimm mich nicht für einen Narren. Du hast deine Magie benutzt, um meinen Pfeil abzulenken und den nächsten aus meiner Hand springen zu lassen. Es war so offensichtlich, dass ich kaum glauben kann, dass ich es nicht getan habe." Ich habe es vorher nicht gesehen, aber nachdem ich es gesehen habe ... "  
„ Was hast du gesehen? " Fragte Merlin besorgt.  
"Ich war auch in den königlichen Gemächern und deine Augen leuchteten in hellem Gold, als du langsam aus deiner Ohnmacht erwacht bist."  
Merlin wollte gerade antworten, als Gareth leise, aber energisch versprach: "Ich würde dies niemals erwähnen oder jemandem davon erzählen. Im Gegenteil, es ist Ihre Entscheidung, wann und wie oder sogar ob Sie dieses Geheimnis teilen. Aber seien Sie versichert, dass ich Ihr Geheimnis behalten werde." Geheimnis."  
Merlin starrte ihn nur ungläubig an, bis ein Ruck durch seinen Körper ging und er Gareth kurz, aber fest mit den folgenden Worten umarmte: "Die Unterstützung eines tapferen jungen Mannes ist nicht zu niesen. Mit einem kurzen Nicken und einem geflüsterten Dankeschön Sie 'Merlin verabschiedete sich und war bereits um die nächste Ecke gedreht. Gareth konnte Merlin nur anstarren. Er hatte gedacht, dass ein Zauberer nur über seinen Dank und seine Energie lächeln würde. Schließlich war er ein Niemand, hatte weder Gold noch Macht. Es erfüllte ihn mit Wärme, dass Merlin ihn nicht nur ernst nahm, sondern ihm auch Respekt und Freundschaft zeigte. Außerdem hatte er ihn als mutig bezeichnet. Er beschloss, noch furchtloser zu werden.

Aber jetzt durfte er seine Zeit nicht mehr verschwenden. Er hatte die mühsame Aufgabe, Sir Gwaine zu finden. Entweder war er noch im Bett oder in einer Taverne - beides würde kein Vergnügen sein. Sir Gwaine zu wecken war immer eine neue Herausforderung, denn man wusste nie, in welcher Stimmung der Ritter war. Wenn er noch in der Taverne wäre, würde Gareth sich den Zustand des Ritters nicht vorstellen. Um dieser Arbeit ein wenig zu entkommen, ging er schnell zum Haus seiner Mutter. Er hatte nicht viel Zeit gehabt und wusste nicht einmal, womit sie ihre Stunden füllte. Er klopfte vorsichtig an die Tür und ging nach einem leisen "hereinkommen" ins Haus. Er sah sich neugierig um. Dies war also die Heimat der Königin gewesen. Es wurde ordentlich und sehr einfach gehalten. Seine Mutter lächelte ihn an und legte Nadel und Faden beiseite.  
"Und ich dachte du hättest mich vergessen", sagte sie zurechtweisend.

"Nein, würde ich nie", sagte er und ließ sie seine Haare kräuseln. Eigentlich fand er das normalerweise ziemlich nervig, schließlich war er kein kleiner Junge mehr, aber es hatte etwas Tröstliches. Plötzlich wusste er nicht, ob es keine Vorteile hatte, ein Junge zu sein, der ohne viele Sorgen durchs Leben ging. Er lehnte diese Gedanken erneut ab.  
"Schau dich an! Gekleidet wie ein echter Knappe, der du jetzt bist. Wie stolz ich auf dich bin! Du musst mir alles erzählen", fragte ihn seine Mutter.  
Also erzählte er ihr ausführlich von dem Raub, seinem Aufenthalt im Verlies und seiner Arbeit als Knappe.  
"Du hast diese Hexe einfach bewusstlos geschlagen! Wenn ich darüber nachdenke, was mit dir hätte passieren können", machte sich Eluned Sorgen.  
"Daran hatte ich damals noch nicht gedacht. Ich wollte sie nur aufhalten, damit sie keinen Schaden mehr anrichten konnte. Sind alle Zauberer so?", Fragte er düster.  
Seine Mutter wählte ihre Worte sorgfältig aus: "Sind sie alle so? Uther war sich absolut sicher, aber ..." Sie seufzte, "es ist definitiv falsch, einen friedlichen Druiden oder Zauberer hinzurichten, nur weil er in Zukunft ein Verbrechen begehen könnte. Man muss die Taten sprechen lassen und nicht die eigene Angst.  
„Hast du große Angst vor Zauberern?“, Folgte Gareth.  
„Ja, aber ich habe noch mehr Angst vor engstirnigen Königen, die Länder mit Krieg bedecken und gute Menschen sterben lassen dafür.  
"Du redest von deinem verstorbenen Ehemann, habe ich recht? Er ist im Kampf gestorben." Als er den Schmerz in ihren Augen sah, stellte er keine weiteren Fragen. Um sie davon abzulenken, schlug er vor: "Komm, ich muss dringend meinen Ritter finden und ihn an die nächste Ratssitzung erinnern. Ich hoffe, er ist noch nicht zurück in der Taverne."  
Das brachte Eluned zum Lachen.  
Als Gareth auch die Ironie seiner Situation erkannte, lächelte er ebenfalls. "Ja, ja, es ist okay. Es dient mir richtig", sagte Gareth aufschlussreich und zuckte mit den Schultern.  
Sie nickte und sagte: "Ich würde ihn wirklich gerne treffen. Aber ich würde mich noch mehr freuen, Merlin wieder zu treffen."  
Gareth runzelte besorgt die Stirn: "Warum?"  
Eluned dachte über die Frage nach. "Ich kann es dir nicht wirklich sagen. Er gibt mir Rätsel.  
"Er ist schließlich der Diener des Königs", versuchte er nachzudenken.  
"Ja, ich weiß. Das könnte es sein", sagte sie, aber nicht ganz überzeugt.

Gareth musste sich auf die Zunge beißen, um seiner Mutter nicht zu sagen, dass sie absolut Recht hatte. Immerhin war Merlin ein Diener mit magischen Kräften. Kein Wunder, dass er doch auffiel. Dies erklärte all sein Selbstvertrauen und seine Furchtlosigkeit. Trotzdem hatte er sein Wort gegeben, um Merlins Geheimnis nicht zu verraten, und dazu gehörte auch seine Mutter, stellte er fest. Er versuchte eine Ablenkung. "Mutter, ich muss wirklich gehen und Sir ..." Er wurde jedoch von seiner Mutter unterbrochen.  
"Es ist okay, du musst gehen. Ich habe es verstanden. Aber ich werde dich in die Taverne begleiten", sagte sie mit erhobenem Zeigefinger und einem leichten Vorwurf in ihrer Stimme.  
Beide hatten kurz mehrere Tavernen besucht, aber nicht den Ritter gefunden, den sie suchten. "Sollen wir uns in einer Stunde im Hof des Schlosses treffen? Ich werde mich wahrscheinlich im Schloss erkundigen, ob er bereits aufgestanden ist oder ob die Ehre, ihn heute aufzuwecken, mir zu verdanken ist."  
Gareth hoffte wirklich, dass er Sir Gwaine bald finden würde und es war ihm irgendwie wichtig, dass seine Mutter und sein Ritter miteinander auskamen. Er konnte sich dieses Treffen nicht wirklich vorstellen. Würde der Ritter seiner Mutter vielleicht schmeicheln? Bei dem Gedanken wurde ihm schlecht.  
Auf dem Weg zu Sir Gwaines Zimmer traf ihn Tea. Er bemerkte, dass sie plötzlich anhielt und durch ihn sah. Der Moment verging schnell und plötzlich sah Tea ihn direkt an.  
"Ist alles in Ordnung mit dir?", Fragte Gareth vorsichtig. Er wusste, dass sie ein Mädchen war - jünger als er wahrscheinlich war -, aber er konnte sie nicht sehr gut beurteilen.  
"Ich weiß nicht. Was ist so schlimm an Feuerlicht? Wenn ich es nur verstehen könnte", antwortete sie frustriert.  
"Kann ich vielleicht helfen?", Fragte Gareth unsicher.  
"Ja, vielleicht", sagte Tea erneut mit einem verschwommenen Blick.

"Das ist es! Endlich habe ich es gefunden. Die Lösung war die ganze Zeit in Reichweite. Aithusa! Wo bist du? Ich brauche dich", rief Morgana aufgeregt aus.  
Die Drachendame fühlte sich in Morgana zunehmend unwohl. Obwohl Morgana keine Veränderung bemerkte, konnte Aithusa sehen, dass die Hohepriesterin immer verzweifelter und unberechenbarer wurde. Bis jetzt konnte die Drachendame ihren Kontakt mit dem Großen Drachen sowie ihre Treffen vor der Hexe verbergen. Sie versuchte immer wieder, sich davonzuschleichen und vom großen Drachen zu lernen. Sie bewunderte Kilgharrah, weil sein Wissen unglaublich beachtlich war. Sie dachte ehrfürchtig über die Geheimnisse nach, die Kilgharrah ihr erzählt hatte. Sie wollte Merlin auch wiedersehen. Sie vermisste seine Nähe und das beruhigende warme und heilende Gefühl seiner Berührung. Die Drachendame wollte Merlin stolz zeigen, wie viel sie bereits von dem großen Drachen gelernt hatte. Sie hoffte auch, dass sie in der Zwischenzeit miteinander reden konnten.  
"Aithusa!  
Sie zuckte bei ihrem Namen zusammen und kroch vorsichtig in Morganas Richtung. Die Drachendame sah, dass die Hexe zuvor ein vergilbtes Pergament studiert hatte.  
"Komm endlich. Hier ist es. Du musst den Atem deines Drachen auf dieses Schwert legen und ich werde mich durchsetzen."  
Die Drachendame weigerte sich, Morgana zu gehorchen. Sie wusste inzwischen, wen Morgana mit dem Schwert töten wollte und sie schauderte bei dem Gedanken.  
"Komm, komm, mein Freund. Du hast mich gerettet und du kannst mich wieder retten", schmeichelte die Hexe Aithusa.  
Die Drachendame wollte Morgana auch nicht verärgern, aber sie fand diese Bitte so falsch. Die Hexe wurde unruhig. Sie erkannte, dass Aithusa diesen Gefallen nicht erfüllen wollte.  
"Aithusa! Worauf warten Sie noch? Ich weiß, dass Sie es schaffen können."  
Die Drachendame bemerkte, wie plötzlich ein Sog entstand und sagte ihr, dass sie dies tun musste. Je mehr sie sich widersetzte, desto schmerzhafter wurde dieser Zug. Sie fing an zu wimmern und ihren Schwanz herumzuklappen. Sie hörte eine weibliche Stimme, die ihr sagte, dass sie nur ihren Drachenatem aussenden musste und es ihr besser gehen würde. Ihr innerstes Wesen trieb sie immer noch dazu, der Stimme zu widerstehen. Sie konnte sich nicht erinnern warum, aber sie wusste, dass es wichtig war, nicht nachzugeben. Etwas Schlimmes würde passieren, wenn sie nachgab. Die Sekunden zogen sich langsam hin und sie hatte nur gehofft, dass der Widerstand nachlassen würde, wenn ein allumfassender Schmerz im Inneren explodierte sie, die jeden Gedanken unmöglich machte. Wieder hörte sie eine drängende Stimme, die sie aufforderte, endlich nachzugeben. In dem Moment, als eine bestimmte Seite zu angespannt wurde, brach die Verbindung, aber einen winzigen Moment zuvor.

Langsam erwachte Aithusa. Sie spürte immer noch den Schmerz, aber zum Glück war er bereits abgeklungen. Aber sie fühlte Morgana nicht. Sie sah sich um und stellte fest, dass sie tatsächlich allein war. Dann schüttelte sie den Kopf und versuchte es zu klären. Morgana war so erregt gewesen. Aithusa musste herausfinden warum. Es war wichtig. Morgana wollte etwas von ihr und eine Kraft drängte sie dazu, eine andere wollte sie aufhalten. Sie verstand es nicht, aber Kilgharrah wusste es mit Sicherheit. Sie konzentrierte sich und spürte die Lebensenergie des Drachen am Rande ihres Bewusstseins. Es war weit weg, aber das war zweitrangig. Sie musste dringend mit ihm sprechen. Sie wusste nicht, wie sie Merlin erreichen sollte und es war wahrscheinlich eine schlechte Idee, direkt zum Schloss in Camelot zu fliegen. Der Große Drache hatte sie gelehrt, sich nicht vor anderen Menschen zu zeigen. Sie begann ihre Flügel auszustrecken,

Kilgharrah war erstaunt, als er die Drachendame bemerkte. Sie hatten vereinbart, dass sie sich nicht zu oft sehen sollten, damit Morgana nicht ahnte und sich fragte, wo Aithusa so oft war. Er war sehr weit von ihrer Höhle entfernt und wollte sie eine Woche lang nicht wiedersehen. Selbst wenn ein weißer Drache ein gutes Omen war, breitete sich in ihm immer noch ein schlechtes Gefühl aus. Es bedeutete sicherlich nichts Gutes, dass sie den langen Weg auf sich genommen hatte. Sie landete elegant ein paar Meter von ihm entfernt und er konnte sie nur für ihre Eleganz bewundern.  
Sie begrüßte ihn und wartete kaum auf seine Begrüßung, bevor sie in ihren Gedanken zu ihm sagte: "Ich fürchte, etwas ist passiert, aber ich weiß nicht genau ...". Das schlechte Gefühl in seinem Magen verstärkte sich - neue Probleme, neue Entscheidungen, neue mögliche Wege.  
Aithusa erzählte von ihrer letzten Begegnung mit Morgana und was passiert war. Der große Drache versuchte sein Entsetzen zu unterdrücken. Die Drachendame war sich nicht bewusst, wie tödlich das Schwert durch ihre Magie wurde, und er konnte sich nicht vorstellen, welche verheerenden Auswirkungen eine solche Klinge in Morganas Händen haben könnte. Aithusa wartete geduldig, bis der Drache endlich antwortete. Sie konnte an der Sonne erkennen, dass mehrere Stunden vergangen sein mussten. Sie begann langsam zu vermuten, dass Kilgharrah eingeschlafen sein musste, als sie plötzlich seine Stimme hörte.  
"Sie können sich nicht vorstellen, wie tödlich diese Waffe ist. Ihr Instinkt war richtig, diesen Dienst abzulehnen. Ich weiß nicht einmal, wo ich anfangen soll, aber jetzt gibt es viel zu tun. Ich habe eine Idee, wie Sie Merlin helfen können. Er stellte sicher, dass er ihre volle Aufmerksamkeit hatte und fragte vorsichtig: „Willst du mit Merlin und Arthur kämpfen?“  
Kilgharrah war beinahe überwältigt von ihrem anerkennenden Gefühlsrausch.  
„Was ist mit Morgana?", Fragte er weiter.  
Die Drachendame war es Sie fühlte die Verbindung zwischen ihr und Morgana nicht mehr, aber sie wusste nicht, ob sie wirklich zerstört wurde.  
"Wir können das nicht ändern. Es ist so wie es ist. Ich habe eine Aufgabe für Sie, die sehr gefährlich sein wird, und um darauf vorbereitet zu sein, müssen Sie viel lernen.  
Aithusa brauchte nicht viel nachzudenken für eine Entscheidung und antwortete mit freudiger Überzeugung: "Ich werde alles in meiner Macht stehende tun, um Merlin zu beschützen.  
Der große Drache nickte zufrieden und sagte:" Nun, lass uns anfangen. "


	32. Dragons and alliances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you start reading this chapter. You might have noticed that I´m currently publishing a lot and recently I started to write on my other account here which you can find on my profile. For the other account I have planned many things, also some new fanfictions about bands and series. Go check it out if you want to and have a great day.
> 
> I´m also going to update a lot in the next days because this fanfiction now finished on fanfiction.net theres only one chapter left and then I start my next Melrin story there, and here too. But If you haven´t fully read this one here, don´t start the other one when I´m publishing it

Calls became loud and the alarm bells rang. The council meeting was almost over when a knight pushed open the doors to the throne room and said in a strong voice: "My King, forgive me the disturbance, but a dragon was seen in the sky.  
Arthur turned questioningly to Merlin, who could only shrug his shoulders helplessly. "What color is the dragon?" Arthur asked.  
The knight answered promptly: "White. It is a white dragon."  
A murmur went through the hall. A white dragon? How could that be?  
Arthur ordered his thoughts and asked: "Where exactly was the dragon seen? Was it alone? How far away is it?"  
"Forgive me my king, but as soon as I saw him, I rushed to you," the knight replied, overwhelmed.  
Arthur wanted to speak to Merlin, but stopped moving when he saw the distracted look away from him. "The council meeting is now over. Leave the hall. Make inquiries about this dragon. Attack him only in an absolute emergency, hurry."  
Much more quietly he addressed his knights: "Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Leon and Sir Elyan, stay. Be patient for a moment and please do not distract Merlin."  
The four knights looked at Merlin simultaneously. He seemed untroubled by all the excitement and smiled foolishly. But his face suddenly twitched and it looked as if he was arguing with himself in his thoughts. Sir Gwaine was just about to put a hand on Merlin's shoulder when it was intercepted by Arthur and the King shook his head, his eyes also turned back to Merlin.  
A few minutes passed when another knight came into the throne room and reported: "It is a white dragon. He is a little smaller than the great dragon and seems to be younger. He flies very low and in addition constantly in circles. It neither attacks nor flies away. Perhaps it is a coincidence, but its location is such that you can only see it when you are at the height of the castle.  
Arthur clipped and said resolutely: "As long as the dragon does not attack, it will not be attacked either. If anyone should resist this order, he must justify himself to me and he will not like the consequences".  
The knight swallowed and said, "But sire, it's a dra..."  
Arthur cut him off brusquely and replied loudly, "Yes, a dragon, damned. I have ears and have heard it several times. Pass on the order! The dragon will only be attacked if the dragon attacks first."  
Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan and Sir Percival were also restless. Sir Leon finally took the floor and asked with astonishment: "A white dragon? The dragon that is allied with Morgana? Why don't we make everything ready for an attack?"  
Arthur was spared an answer as the doors opened again and Tea came running in. She did not slow down her speed at all and shouted from afar: "You must not attack her under any circumstances!  
All but Merlin started the girl in perplexity.  
Sir Percival was the first to ask, "Who shall we...?", with Sir Elyan interjecting, "You? Who?"  
Neither of them could finish their question, as Tea - albeit out of breath - arrived. "The Dragon! You mustn't hurt her," she said helplessly.  
"I have just given this very order to my men, but I don't know myself if it is right. Is it?" Arthur expressed his question and turned to Tea.  
"Yes!," she shouted effusively.  
"Yes, but why?" Sir Gwaine finally asked.  
"Why don't you just ask Merlin? I'm sure he can explain it better," she suddenly said defiantly.  
All pairs of eyes turned back to Merlin. Just at that moment, he said softly, "Thank you. His eyes became clear and focused again. He looked at Arthur and smiled half tortured, half happy.  
He could only look back questioningly.  
"I have just experienced a lot. It's good news, but it's also very worrying news," said Merlin and took a break. He took a deep breath and began to explain: "The white dragon we can see in the sky right now is Aithusa. She wanted to get my attention so that I would search for her in my thoughts. The great dragon actually succeeded in teaching her to communicate with me. He learned from her that Morgana had forced her to forge a sword in the dragon's breath. So Morgana, like you, Arthur, possesses a sword with deadly power.

Probably only such a blade can kill Morgana herself. But you have to keep in mind that a strong wound, beaten by one of these swords, cannot be healed by magic either. The swords could even kill the already dead. Unfortunately this is not the only bad news. Aithusa warns us that a huge army is marching on Camelot. She didn't know a word for it to describe the right size, but the strike power seems to be gigantic. If I understand her correctly, Camelot cannot withstand her, no matter how skillfully and bravely the knights of Camelot fight. The Great Dragon strongly advises you to send messengers to the neighboring kingdoms to ask for help, or Camelot will surely fall. The Dragon Lady feels guilty because she could not prevent such a mighty sword from falling into Morgana's hands and wants to stand by us. She didn't dare to fly to the castle because she didn't want to risk having her wings pierced with arrows. She wants to support us and that also in battle. If you decide to let her join the fight as an ally, we have to get the knights and also the people used to the sight of her as soon as possible, so that no panic breaks out and in a deadly moment none of the knights is distracted by her appearance.

"You want to announce to the people that you have not only changed the law regarding magic, but that you want to ally with a dragon, since a great army is on the way?" Sir Leon asked again.  
"Do you have a better suggestion?", Arthur replied tiredly. He had discussed the dangers with Gwen, Merlin, and again with the council. Meanwhile, there were also some reports from scouts who confirmed the news of an army marching on Camelot. The description of how overwhelmingly large it was was more than intimidating. As they lacked time, they needed a decision quickly.

"People of Camelot. It always fills me with love and pride when I look at our beloved Camelot. To be king of this very same one fills me with pride, but also with humility. I always try to be a just ruler and make wise decisions. It is true that a great army is coming our way at this time. I can only assume that this force is hostile to Camelot and that the Lady Morgana has a hand in it. Even before this threat was revealed to us, changes have been made that affect the practice of magic in Camelot."  
A murmur went through the crowd and everyone hung on the King's lips in suspense.  
Arthur sighed, gathered courage and continued: "I once made a promise and I will finally fulfill it. I promised that druids would be treated with respect in the future and that the witch hunt would literally end. Since my reign I have deliberately not persecuted and executed any druids, because this approach is not fair. People should be judged by their deeds and not by their power. The practice of magic is no longer punishable by death in Camelot. However, anyone who uses magic to cause great harm, to seriously injure his opponent or to use magic for other evil purposes must continue to answer to me and the law".  
Although the courtyard was filled with people, it was deadly quiet.  
Arthur already began to doubt whether it was really the right decision to change the laws so suddenly and questioned his decision to announce the next incredible change as well.  
Gwen noticed his emotion, squeezed his hand and nodded to him. He noticed a movement and was amazed to see his people kneeling one by one, silently and unanimously paying respect and surrender to him. A few minutes later the people rose and a 'Long live the King' was shouted over and over again and repeated a hundred times.  
Arthur was moved by tears in his eyes. Encouraged by this behavior, he spoke again: "We are facing a new enemy, to whom we are far inferior in numbers. I have already sent messengers to other kingdoms to ask for their support. Camelot has the additional opportunity to gain another, unusual ally. The sighting of a white dragon has been on everyone's lips for many hours. The fear and anger gradually gave way to the question why the dragon did not attack. I have an answer to this question by now. The dragon wishes to ally himself with Camelot."  
Sharp inhalation was mixed with laughter and wonder. Isolating

voices were raised, which demanded the death of the dragon.  
"Yes, I can understand this wish only too well, because the fire, the pain and the fear were present everywhere when the great dragon attacked, and this encounter is etched firmly in the memory of each one. But the question is, are there sensible alternatives? Assuming we don't try to form an alliance with the dragon, then we are facing an army alone for the time being and in the worst case the dragon can turn against us and we have to resist not only an army but also the attack of a dragon. It's not without risk, but that's never the case with making an alliance. It is possible that the dragon will soon approach the castle. It is important that everyone behaves absolutely predictable and passive to avoid misunderstandings and accidents. The dragon would be a guest here in Camelot and therefore he is under my protection. We..."  
Arthur was killed by a shrill 'Dragon! He's here!' interrupted by a shrill 'dragon!  
With a loud 'HOLD ON!', he was able to suppress the first panic. "Go slowly back and clear the castle courtyard."  
To his knights he said: "Get ready. Swords outside, archers with arrows in place. But only on my order will action be taken! Understood?! Under no circumstances do I want to risk an avoidable fight. I will go to the courtyard of the castle."  
"And I will accompany you," said his wife, without any argument.  
"Gwen, please, I," he tried to change her mind, but he saw her determination. He turned to Merlin. "Are you sure this is not a trap and we can really trust the Dragon Lady?"  
"I am quite sure, and if something unforeseen should happen, I will be at your side as always. If I am caught casting spells, I won't face the death penalty anymore and don't forget that I am a Dragonlord," Merlin replied with a broad grin.  
Arthur couldn't quite understand the cheerfulness of his servant, but he didn't have time to think about it now.  
"Hurry up, Aithusa is about to land in the courtyard! Arthur did not waste another second and set off with his cloak blowing. He was just entering the courtyard when he saw the dragon's elegant landing. The people had retreated. Occasionally curious people looked out of their hiding places. Arthur walked upright and without hesitation towards the dragon lady and stopped a few meters in front of her. Unfortunately he had not thought about how to go on. Very slowly Aithusa bent her front legs and lowered her head. Had Arthur been able to observe his people, he would have seen many with big eyes and amazed looks. He himself, however, had concentrated his gaze on the dragon. The dragon lady slowly rose again.  
Arthur addressed his word loud and clear to the dragon: "Welcome, Aithusa.  
The dragon almost seemed to grin and replied: "I greet you also, King Arthur, the former and future King of Albion. Some time has passed since our last meeting."  
The people of Camelot were surprised not only by the dragon's words, but even more by the fact that he could speak at all.  
Arthur needs a moment to catch himself. "What is your desire?"  
The Dragon Lady pondered and found the right words: "Protection - I want to protect and be protected."  
Arthur could watch at the edge of his field of vision as a blond girl steered towards the dragon. She stumbled and was about to fall on her face when a wing gently caught her. Everyone in the castle courtyard held their breath. A bell-like laughter could be heard and the girl said, as she stood upright again, "Oh, thank you, Aithusa. That would have hurt. I am Tea. May I come closer and touch you again?"  
Aithusa then looked at Arthur and he understood that the dragon lady was waiting for his permission. Arthur nodded and Tea led her away and carefully placed a hand on Aithusa's neck.  
Little by little the people dared to come out of their hiding places and approach the dragon. They were still afraid, but the curiosity was simply greater. Nobody wanted to miss this spectacle. The atmosphere had relaxed a bit until a call from the crowd rang out: "What are you waiting for, kill the dragon. This is your best chance."  
The dragon turned off the speaker in the crowd, fixed him and asked: "Why are you asking for my death?  
The man had to swallow hard, but said, distorted with rage, "The great dragon killed my son then."  
"I am sorry for your loss, but as you yourself have admitted, I am not to blame for this death," she calmly explained.  
"Dragon remains dragon," the man replied with hatred.

"And man therefore remains man. So that would mean that, if a man attacks me and wants to kill me, I am therefore to repay all men whom I meet with equal coin?"  
A tense silence arose, which was broken by the whirring of an arrow. Suddenly several things happened at once. Aithusa turned as fast as lightning and could embrace King Arthur with one of her wings, Tea with the other. Several archers took aim at the dragon, knights came running with drawn swords, Merlin lowered his eyes and his eyes glowed golden. Gwen raised her hand and shouted, "Don't shoot! Stop!"  
Everyone stared only at the arrow, which had stopped just before Aithusa and seemed to get stuck in the air. With a loud clatter it fell to the ground. Aithusa released Arthur and Tea from their wings. Arthur looked a bit dishevelled, but was unharmed. Tea, on the other hand, laughed, bouncing around enthusiastically on the floor several times, putting her arms around the dragon's neck and saying, "Thank you. Are we friends now?"  
The dragon's body trembled and it looked as if the dragon lady was laughing too. "Yes, I would be happy about that."  
Arthur, on the other hand, looked in the direction from which the arrow came and shouted, "Who shot this arrow? I have expressly ordered that the dragon should not be attacked!"  
At first no one moved, but little by little the other shooters made way, so that one of them was in the foreground. This man trembled and sweated heavily. "Forgive me, forgive me, me," he said.  
"Guards, take him into custody, I will deal with this later."  
A whisper went through the crowd. Again and again the question was asked how the arrow was stopped. Magic and sorcery were called out more often. Gwen noticed that the mood could change at any time. She looked at Merlin questioningly. He quickly whispered some sentences to her. Gwen hardly showed her astonishment and cleared her throat. "The white dragon did not harm us and showed us clearly that she really had the intention to protect us and not to kill us. But it is not only the dragon lady Aithusa who stands up for our protection, but also a magician known to the druids as 'Emrys'. This wizard has probably been secretly directing the fate of Camelot for years, protecting the king and the people. Even though my husband is an excellent fighter, he cannot do magic. But how do you encounter magic where the sword proves useless? Courage, determination, strength and love are valuable, but in some situations magic is needed to triumph. Little by little we hear stories in which magicians have secretly helped people. It may have been a seriously ill child who was healed, or a convalescent knight who had been seriously injured. It turns out that beings with magic are not necessarily evil. Even people without magic can cause great suffering and commit atrocities. From now on we will look at deeds and not at the magical ability. It was high time that this law was changed. I too have suffered under this law. My father, a good and honorable man, found death through this, because he unwittingly consorted with a magician. It fills me with hope that little by little the wounds can heal and the suspicion on our side and on the side of the magicians and druids will subside and a peaceful coexistence will be possible".


	33. Letters

The next morning Merlin was bringing breakfast to the royal couple when a messenger arrived with a letter. Arthur lost no time and opened the letter immediately. He quickly skimmed the lines and passed them on to his wife. Meanwhile, Merlin had already prepared breakfast and waited impatiently for Arthur's explanation. Gwen put one hand on Arthur's shoulder and said, "But that's good, isn't it?  
He said, "Yes, although I do not feel comfortable bringing the kingdom of Nemeth into the conflict. King Rodor did not reject the request and sent Princess Mithian to negotiate. She will arrive tomorrow. This undertaking will not be easy. I fear that she cannot offer much, since not much time has passed since her army was defeated by Odin's army. It remains to be seen if other kingdoms will send negotiators quickly."  
Merlin cleared his throat loudly and with a movement of his head, pointed out to the royal couple that they should have some breakfast. Both took a seat and began to eat slowly.  
"Arthur, you're going to do all this. No matter how big the enemy army is, you will win. I believe in you. You will find the right words at the right moment, you will gain more allies and prevent Camelot from falling," Merlin said, looking intently at Arthur.  
"Thank you, Merlin," Arthur said softly, his eyes fixed on his breakfast.  
"Gwen, did Arthur just thank me? You heard it too, didn't you? Maybe I'm dreaming too, who knows?"  
Gwen could not help smiling and Arthur shouted threateningly, "Merlin!"  
"Yes, sire?", the innocent asked.  
"Shut up," Arthur said out of habit.  
Gwen could only shake her head. She was already finished with breakfast because she was hardly hungry and said to Merlin: "Thank you too, Merlin. Actually, I should have done that yesterday already. I can't imagine what sensations you must have had when you used your magic so visibly in the courtyard of the castle".  
Merlin grinned broadly, bowed and replied: "It was a pleasure. In the meantime I have a lot of practice in performing magic unnoticed in front of everyone. But why didn't you actually tell the people that not only a wizard, but also a Dragonlord was on Camelot's side?"  
Gwen thought about it and then said, "I don't know exactly. Somehow it didn't work out. I had already formulated the opening in my mind and then rejected it. Did Aithusa actually speak to you during the encounter?"  
Merlin grinned even wider and nodded contentedly.  
"What did she say?", the queen asked curiously.  
The magician replied: "Actually, I talked to her more and she listened. The main thing was that she didn't move hastily, didn't make herself unnecessarily large and didn't breathe fire. As the arrow buzzed through the air, I asked her to protect you, Arthur, and Tea. It was not a real command, but rather a transmission of a feeling followed by images. She trusted me to help her too. Either to stop the arrow, or to tend the wound. I asked her to remain calm, as the people present were very afraid of her. The people of Camelot must first learn that dragons can also be allies."  
There was another knock and a messenger delivered a second letter. Arthur impatiently tore this one up as well and, as he read it, said, "Queen Annis has also replied." He also skimmed over this letter and his mouth remained open. Again he read the lines and could not believe what he had written. "Can this be true?" he said rather to himself. "Queen Annis is on her way here and has previously called her kingdom Caerleon to arms," he explained.  
"So they are coming to our aid immediately?" Gwen asked hopefully.  
"I do not know! Read it yourself," Arthur said in frustration.  
"Perhaps it depends on the negotiations which side she takes," Gwen suspected.  
"Yes, it's possible, though she's not hostile to us if she comes to Camelot and wants a talk."  
Before they could discuss it further, there was another knock and a messenger came into the chamber with a third letter. Perplexed, Arthur held this letter in his hand and then asked his wife, "To how many kingdoms have you sent letters?

Gwen looked at him unmoved and said, "To all.  
Arthur was speechless and could only stare at his wife questioningly.  
"False pride doesn't stop me from asking for help. We have the best chance when many kingdoms are involved in the negotiations, because then we will not suddenly be dependent on just one. There is a danger that other kingdoms will become aware that they could ally themselves with this foreign army, but I doubt it. I have seen rulers allying themselves with Morgana over the years and it has never paid off for them, quite the contrary. Don't think I've written the same thing to every kingdom, either. Allied kingdoms know how desperately we need help in a timely manner, as the army is already on the move. Rather hostile kingdoms have received an invitation as a general approach, with different justifications and prospects. Whatever the excuses I used, it was clear that only a quick promise could have a positive effect on the relationship between Camelot and the respective kingdom".  
Arthur swallowed his pride and asked objectively, "To whom exactly did you write?"  
Gwen nodded and counted with her fingers: "Nemeth, Caerleon, Deorham, Cornwall, Mercia, Essetir, Deira, Tír-Mòr and Gawant," he propped up, pondered briefly and added: "King Olav I had forgotten.  
Arthur shook his head in disbelief. "You have asked ten - TEN - kingdoms for help. Can you imagine how weak Camelot appears to be because of that and how quickly weakness can be an invitation to declare war," he reproached her.  
"Camelot is not weak, and asking for help when it is urgently needed is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. Your false pride will get us nowhere here. If we try to stop this army alone, we will all perish. However, if we gain one or two allies who will support us actively, we can significantly reduce the overall losses. I also hope that the fight will not go down to the last man, but that this will make the opposing army pause - discourage them. Maybe Morgana will show herself and we can defeat her and all the bloodshed can be prevented or at least significantly reduced," Gwen sparkled at him coldly.  
"Gwen, me," Arthur tried to apologize.  
"No, Arthur! Remember first that your wife not only adorns your side, but also has a head she knows how to use. I also use my ears and get advice. Do you think the idea came only from me to write to so many kingdoms? You forget that I haven't even seen most of them, and that I've only met their rulers as a servant, if at all. Do you think it was easy to write and send these letters," Gwen ended and left the room without even looking at Arthur.  
"Arthur," Merlin began.  
He, however, shook his head to let him know that he wanted to read the letter in peace.  
Merlin watched as Arthur read the letter again and sighed. Merlin tried again: "Arthur, who is the letter from? And Gwen..."  
Merlin was immediately interrupted again by Arthur: "The letter is from King Bayard. It looks like we can expect help from Mercia as well. You don't have to say it, Merlin. I know that Gwen is right, and yet I cannot help but think about how this tenfold cry for help must work."  
"Arthur, Camelot is by no means weak, but if reports of this enemy army are anywhere near accurate, then Camelot cannot emerge victorious from this confrontation without allies. Furthermore, we should not forget that Morgana has her fingers in the pie again. Negotiations with our allies and possibly with other neighboring countries are essential for our survival. In any case, negotiations are imminent. You should urgently speak with your queen. Even if it is not your strength, but try to put yourself in Gwen's shoes.  
Arthur looks at Merlin in amazement and with a questioning

facial expression on.  
"You don't get it, do you? How can you have so little sense for the feelings of others? Gwen served as a servant in this castle for many years. It is quite possible that there will be many rulers or envoys at the negotiating table whom she served before. She is the daughter of a blacksmith and was a servant. What impression do you think this has made on other countries?"  
"Guinevere is strong, intelligent and completely loyal. She loves me not because I am a king, but for my own sake," Arthur tried to reply.  
"Yes, we both know that, and it has taken you yourself some time to understand this, but in many kingdoms it is a tradition that a king or prince only marries a queen or princess. It could also be seen as a weakness that you married an insignificant blacksmith's daughter and thus broke with a 200 year old history. Gwen probably also fears the supposition that she has seduced or even enchanted you. She will enter the negotiations upright and with her head held high, but do not believe that she is not afraid or doubtful. She forces herself to be strong to support you, but it's time for you to form a unity together and think of a strategy for the negotiations. Are you aware that the different negotiating partners will be in Camelot at the same time and that the parties may be very distrustful of each other and that different demands may be linked to the support needed?  
The conversation was abruptly interrupted when another messenger arrived with a letter. Arthur opened it without hesitation. While reading it, Arthur opened his eyes in astonishment. Even though Merlin grew more impatient with every passing minute, he waited until Arthur passed the letter on to him with the following words: "Read the letter and tell me what its message is.  
Merlin first skimmed the message and found out that the sender was King Odin. "King Odin may have assured you of his support. He has already mobilized his army and he himself will arrive in Camelot tomorrow at the latest for the negotiations.  
The silence in the room spread. Neither Arthur nor Merlin knew how to react to this news. They were torn from their thoughts by the entry of Gwen. "Now that we cannot afford a quarrel between us, I have returned. I know and love you, even if your lack of empathy and vision sometimes makes me despair. So who was the last letter from?" Gwen began her appearance.  
Merlin just grinned at Arthur in a self-righteous way. He snorted and admitted: "Okay, yes, you were right, Merlin. And yes, I am an insensitive idiot! Are you two happy now?"  
"YES!", Merlin and Gwen answered at the same time and burst out laughing.  
When this faded away, Arthur replied: "Not only Mercia promises us support, but Cornwall has armed its army and Odin is on his way here for negotiations.  
Gwen nodded and went through the other kingdoms in her mind. "Am I right in assuming that we can expect positive answers from King Olaf and King Godwyn as well?  
"King Olaf will probably come, although I hope he will not bring Princess Vivian. King Godwyn has long been an ally of Camelot. Princess Elena herself refused to marry me, and her father was not at all angered by this. He is a forgiving father and has accepted Elena's idiosyncrasies. Merlin, why are you trying to suppress a laugh," Arthur turned to his servant, his shoulders trembling with laughter.  
The magician calmed down and replied, "I believe that her so-called quirks have now disappeared and she has become a noble lady. I also hope that Princess Vivian has overcome her infatuation with you. It would be fatal if the spell of love was as strong with her as it was with you and if it could not be broken.

"Don't tell me now that magic was involved in these two matters as well," Arthur said annoyed.  
"Of course I can't say it if you want me to, but that doesn't make it any less true," Merlin replied with an innocent expression.  
Gwen asked Merlin to tell her everything.  
Merlin cleared his throat and began to tell: "Uther had invited five rulers years ago to sign a peace treaty. King Alined's jester first cast a love spell on you, Arthur. But when the young princess Vivian did not find your wooing so irresistible, the jester probably cast a spell on her, too. King Olaf has an exaggerated protective instinct towards his daughter and demanded satisfaction. Since you were not quite yourself in this life-and-death duel, you did not just get a broken rib. Before the third and last round of the duel began, Gwen, luckily for you, stormed into the tent and broke the spell with a kiss. I have to say that I tried all kinds of spells before and I did not manage to solve the love spell. Since I didn't know what to do, I once again asked Kilgharrah for advice. He finally told me that only the strongest power could reach you, because the spell was already too far advanced. A power that is stronger than mine or that of a dragon, it is the strongest power of all, love. Only the person that you, Arthur, really love could undo the spell with a kiss.  
Arthur was embarrassed at the words and a certain redness crept into his face. Gwen, on the other hand, beamed all over his face and went to her husband, who looked up and Gwen gave him a kiss.  
Merlin continued: "Yes... and as for Elena. Unfortunately, she could not do much for her behavior. Inside her lived a fairy, a Sidhe, who had been hiding inside her since she was a baby. Fairies have a lot of time and patience. Her goal was to see a fairy on the throne of Camelot. The fairy would only reveal herself when she was married to you, Arthur. Then she would have taken complete control of Elena. I saw her servant, an elf in the service of the Sidhe, sprinkle Elena with elven dust that suppressed her pain from the Sidhe growing within her."  
"And why didn't you tell me this when my father ordered me to marry her?" Arthur asked furiously.  
"What would your father have done with his ally if it had come out that Elena was a cuckoo's child and he had an elf for a servant?" Merlin replied with a counter-question.  
"You have to admit, Arthur, that the question is valid," Gwen replied placatory.  
Arthur just snorted in frustration and Merlin continued: "I had no idea, since I knew nothing about sidhe magic, but luckily Gaius had books about it. We finally found a potion that could drive the fairy out of her. Unfortunately, the Witches of Meredor were not very precise in their recipe and the ingredients were sometimes hard to get. Nevertheless Gaius managed to brew the potion before the wedding ceremony. Well, unfortunately the servant had seen me and the leader of the Sidhe was not pleased that the prince's servant had just heard about the cuckoo child. He came to the castle and surprised me in my sleep. It was not the first time I had dealt with fairies. Even though Arthur already knows the details, I mention it again anyway. Aulfric wanted to sacrifice the soul of a prince to enable his daughter Sophia to return to Avalon. In that battle at that time, I kept the staff of Aulfric, which helped me a lot in my defense. Although I don't like to admit it, two Sidhe and the elf lost their lives in that fight, because the potion also drove the Sidhe out of Elena's inner being."  
Gwen asked Arthur after a while: "How exactly did it happen that you did not marry Elena out of duty?"  
"I not only asked Merlin for his opinion, but I had ordered him to speak his mind. He said I was crazy, that everyone here was crazy. Marriage should only be for love and not for duty. An unhappy king would not result in a stronger Camelot. It would be my decision and my choice," he answered her question.  
Gwen looked Arthur in the eye and added, "It was my decision and my choice.  
Merlin cleared his throat and the royal couple broke the eye contact in love. Gwen tensed her shoulder and said, "So that means we are expecting at least four high-profile guests, probably more like six or even more. I will let them know that several rooms are being prepared. Merlin, go to the kitchen and tell them that they are expecting distinguished guests.

We will not have a party, but there will be no lack of food. Arthur, you will look after the army's needs. It is to be expected that tomorrow the first allies or negotiating partners will already appear. Until then there is still a lot to prepare and discuss. Even if the enemy army is approaching, we must not lose sight of other urgencies. Merlin, you should pay more attention to Tea, since she is not only a lovely girl, but also has knowledge that could save us losses. You should also talk to the Dragon Lady, as not only can she quickly provide valuable information about the army movement, but she may also have picked up on something concerning Morgana. Arthur, have you taken care of the archer who accidentally shot the arrow? Have you heard from Sir Baron if he's made contact with the druids yet? Do you have any idea how we should proceed with the sorceress Kara? We agree that this case requires tact and time, since Sir Mordred would not take a death sentence for her well."  
Merlin bowed and said with a grin: "Very well, my queen" and left the room quickly.  
"After Sir Baron, I will send immediately to inquire the current state of affairs. We can certainly use the healers very well in the upcoming war. As for the sorceress - I am absolutely at a loss. I have the feeling that I can only make the wrong decision, which is why I am postponing the decision for the moment."  
There was another knock at the door and Tea came into the royal couple's room with a bright smile on her face. "What a great day! I knew that I would find it simply wonderful in the castle. I am still impressed by the white dragon lady. What a wonderful creature. A white dragon is a good omen. Did you know that Aithusa means 'Light of the Sun'? I am still excited that she wants to be my friend. Unfortunately, most of the children were afraid of me, which is why I always had only broncos. Can you explain to me why you should be afraid of power? I somehow never understood that. Since there will soon be many guests in the castle, we can also clear the noble room in which we are accommodated. It is far too large and far too luxurious. A smaller, simpler room would be perfectly adequate for both of us. Gwen, if I am welcome at any time, does that also apply to the negotiations that are due tomorrow? I could take over Merlin's service again and be responsible for refilling the wine?" it gushed out of Tea.  
"But Merlin is well again, so you don't need to take over his work," said the king with a frown.  
Tea began to laugh as bright as a bell.  
Arthur looked startled. Gwen shrugged her shoulders, too.  
"Ooh, this is too good. The most powerful wizard and last dragonlord literally stands at your side - and pours you wine. Where is Merlin anyway?"  
Since Arthur still hadn't understood the joke, Gwen replied: "He wanted to go to Aithusa and then to you and Bronwen. It is likely that an army is marching directly on Camelot. It is possible that the castle will not be safe in the near future."  
"Pah, if it's not safe here, it's nowhere safe anywhere. It's a pity I didn't see Merlin before. Anyway, then maybe I'll catch them both together. Oh, yes, even if it spoils the surprise, but King Lot will probably be at the bargaining table tomorrow."


	34. Guests (I)

Merlin did not need to search for Aithusa for long. He sensed that she was near. He went back to the remote clearing and called for her. She landed elegantly before him and he could not take his eyes off this impressive and beautiful creature. "You look beautiful," Merlin slipped it by mistake.  
The young dragon lady was very happy about this compliment. She had already noticed that her scales had turned a bright white and she felt much more alive. She forgot the greeting with joy, came towards Merlin, put her neck at Merlin's side and pushed it with gentle force closer to safe. Immediately she could feel this wondrously warm feeling. Satisfied, she emitted a small flame.  
Merlin also felt him relaxing slowly. Only now did he realize how tense he had been before. In this calmness he could look at the latest events again and he understood how important the last days were and how important the next days would probably still be. He had not noticed that the sun was already high up in the sky when he realized that a smaller figure had made himself comfortable next to him and the kite. When he opened his eyes, he looked into icy blue eyes. He wondered why he had not been frightened, but he did not pursue the question further.  
"Merlin, this is unfair. I don't understand how you talk to Aithusa. Do not shut me out."  
Again Merlin opened his eyes and focused Tea. He explained to her, "We are not excluding you because we have not talked at all, and you have slipped into her embrace.  
"Then I want to know everything you two discussed before," Tea demanded to know.  
Merlin blushed a little and the Dragon Lady seemed to grin. "Merlin paid me a compliment. He said I was beautiful," Aithusa replied.  
Tea nodded, but then said indignantly, addressed to Merlin: "You have never said anything like that to me before. Am I not beautiful?"  
"I, um, you are, um, small and cute," he replied uncertainly.  
Suddenly the whole dragon body shook, forcing Merlin and Tea to put some distance between themselves and the dragons. Suddenly, the dragon rolled onto her back and flapped her wings and legs. In his thoughts he heard her laughing and calling out: "Merlin, you really have a lot to learn about women. Small and cute is not the same as beautiful."  
Merlin saw that Tea was sulking and she said, "Then you are tall and thin!"  
Merlin nodded and said, "Yes, that's right."  
"Doesn't my statement annoy you?" Tea asked.  
Merlin said irritated: "Why should the statement annoy me? It is true and this truth does not bother me at all.  
"Okay."  
"How okay?"

"Okay, I like you. Can we be friends?" Tea asked Tea almost shyly.  
Merlin crouched down before Tea and solemnly said: "My dear Tea, you saved my life. You saved Arthur's life. We are friends already. Had we met under less dramatic circumstances, I am quite sure that we would have become friends very quickly, after all, we both possess magic and want to protect Camelot and its inhabitants".  
At these words, Tea pounced on Merlin and pulled him into a tight embrace. At first he was taken by surprise and could barely regain his balance, but then he gladly returned the hug. The two noticed that the dragon had calmed down again. Merlin stood up and asked the dragon: "Can you tell us something about the enemy army movement? I've been meaning to ask you that."  
"Yes, the army is approaching from the east. Since it is so huge, it moves slowly but inexorably. I have seen battles in Essetir, but the local army has quickly withdrawn. The enemy force consists mainly of armed men, although occasionally magicians may also be present. These are mostly apparently unarmed and wear long grey-brown robes. The only horses that are with the army pull the heavy carts, which are fully loaded with weapons, tents and food. The army plunders what it can on the way here. They often set fire to houses or barns for no reason. The army is rather busy sleeping and

eat than fight, because every living being with the corresponding flight instinct has already fled from them.  
Merlin had to swallow hard with that description. Tea put a comforting hand on his arm and said, "We'll manage.  
Merlin nodded and asked Aithusa, "Did you sense Morgana in the army?"  
"I..." She interrupted herself and then looked into the distance. "I can't feel her anymore," she began again. "Since the incident with the sword, I can no longer perceive the connection to Morgana. I should have a guilty conscience because I don't miss her and I should, shouldn't I? But with her I never had such a warm and pleasant feeling. Her touches were always just cold and exhausting. Little by little I realize what darkness dwells within her. I am afraid that it will not end well with her and I regret that. All the time I tried to be there for her, but I couldn't chase the darkness away - on the contrary - through our connection the darkness consumed my inner being. Even though I cannot feel it anymore, I have seen it several times in the army. I never flew close and always stayed under the protection of the sun".  
"At first you couldn't understand what Morgana said, but you have learned a lot in the little time you have had and now you understand every word. Have you picked up anything that might be important," Merlin asked hopefully.  
Aithusa pondered for a while and then replied, "I had already mentioned that she had tried a curse. She was very exhausted after this curse and it took several hours before she had some strength again. She also waited for more news from the castle, but she probably didn't get them. But she was thievingly happy about the news that the Saxon army had really set out and would soon arrive in Camelot. She is very sure of her and her victory and imagined different scenarios how she could torture Arthur, Gwen and you before your death.  
Merlin sought contact with the Dragon Lady again and thanked her: "I will not order you to risk your life in this war. If it is your will, you are welcome to protect Arthur and Camelot and fight this war. But I will not ask you to fight Morgana, since you have been linked for a long time, and perhaps in part still are."  
"Thank you, Merlin. I will be by Arthur's side and fight. I want to make amends for unwittingly creating a deadly weapon in the hands of the high priestess."

Because Gwen had so much to organize and her head was full of thoughts and fears, she did not realize that it was now evening. Just as she looked out into the courtyard, she noticed that the first guests had already arrived. She told a servant to call the king and hurried to the courtyard herself. Somehow she was nervous, not knowing how the individual rulers and envoys would react to her, the new queen, so she tried to prepare herself for disparaging, insulting or even hostile reactions. Faltering, she expelled her held breath, recognizing the princess Mithian, who had appeared as an envoy of Nemeth.  
"Greetings, Princess Mithian. We are pleased that you have made the journey so quickly and unharmed. We didn't expect you to arrive until tomorrow, but of course we have already prepared rooms for you," Gwen greeted the guest.  
"Queen Guinevere, I am delighted to see you again. Thank you very much for the warm welcome. I would be very pleased to have a little refreshment, which you could join me for if your time permits.  
"It would be my pleasure if you would follow me.

Gwen instructed a servant to bring refreshments to her reception room and inform the King of her whereabouts. Although she was not sure what the princess was trying to achieve, it was not her style to be rude. Shortly after they arrived in the reception room, a servant arrived with a snack and various drinks. Gwen thanked him and sent the servant away before he made an effort to stay in the room. While Gwen filled her own cup and the princess', she inquired about her father's health.  
"My father is much better now. He is still burdened by the incidents of a few months ago and we are still busy with the losses and the reconstruction, but things are looking up again," replied the

Princess.  
"I am glad to hear that your father and your kingdom are on the road to recovery. I am very sorry that we are dragging you into a war again, especially since the last one was not long ago. I would also like to mention in advance that we have not only invited our closest allies and asked for help. If the opposing army is even a fraction of the size we have described, Camelot will not be able to survive on its own. I want to be frank with you and warn you that King Odin is also expected at the negotiating table. It is quite possible that even King Lot will attend the negotiations in person.  
After a few seconds, Princess Mithian was able to control herself again and banish the pain that was clearly visible in her face from her features. She breathed in and out several times and said softly: "Thank you for the warning. I could already tell from your message that Camelot is threatened by a large army and it is unlikely that they will be satisfied with Camelot. We have already begun arming the men. Most of our army will probably arrive in Camelot in a few days. A small part will remain in our kingdom to deter robbers and murderers, so that they do not take advantage of the situation and do not plunge our country into chaos. Unfortunately, we have had the experience that such a situation is taken advantage of by bad people, because they see their chance and spread even more suffering and pain".  
Gwen saw how the princess struggled to find her composure. So she carefully put a hand on her shoulder.  
After a short time the princess cleared her throat and answered with a grateful smile: "Thank you and I must apologize for my weakness.  
Gwen interrupted the princess with the following words: "You do not need to apologize. You have had a hard time and we are facing again those who need all our strength. Save your strength for the important moments - for example at the negotiating table. Here in this moment you may show your pain. I will not use it against you, because we are allies after all and we cannot afford not to trust us in the current situation.  
The door opened and Arthur suddenly stood in the room. Gwen quickly took her hand off Mithian's shoulder and the king greeted his guest.  
Princess Mithian smiled at them and said: "Oh, Arthur, what a rich and happy man you are.  
Arthur didn't know how to answer and waited to see if the princess would explain this statement further and she did him the favor.  
"I would trade all my wealth for the same happiness you have. I understand now why you cancelled the wedding and why you would rather give away a piece of land for peace than to let you lose the chance to make this beautiful, friendly and fair woman your queen.  
Gwen blushed a bit and her face became even redder when Arthur gave her a beaming kiss and confirmed: "Yes, this was definitely the best idea of my life!  
Gwen couldn't resist saying, "Was it really just your idea?  
Then Arthur sulked and the two women began to laugh.  
Mithian then asked, "Speaking of which, where is Merlin?  
The royal couple looked puzzled and Mithian laughed liberated. "Oh come on, it was immediately obvious that you give a lot to the opinion of your servant and he was not at all enthusiastic about me when I was supposed to marry you.  
"Was he rude to you," Arthur inquired with a furrowed forehead.  
"No, no. On the contrary. I wanted to apologize to him because he was hurt by Morgana because of me a few months ago, because I wanted to warn you about the witch. I can probably never forgive myself for luring you all into a trap and almost getting you killed because of me," ended up depressed.  
"You don't have to worry about that anymore. Merlin's injury left him and Sir Gwaine behind, so neither of them were ambushed and they were able to free us all eventually. Besides, I would have acted very similarly in your situation," Arthur Mithian reassured him.  
There was a knock at the door and Merlin entered the room with Tea. On entering, Mithian heard Merlin's words: "...yes, she is a beautiful, real princess.  
Suddenly a blonde girl came running towards her and stopped just before her: "You are really real and very beautiful. Can you teach me how to

should behave like a princess? I want to be a princess one day, too, you know," Tea Mithian bombarded with her questions.  
She smiled indulgently and said seriously: "Thank you very much for the compliment young lady. My name is Princess Mithian from the Kingdom of Nemeth. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.  
Tea was amazed when the princess curtsied elegantly in front of her. She radiantly imitated the movement of the princess and happily said: "The pleasure is all mine. My name is Teaghan. I recently moved to Camelot and I have already made friends with Merlin and Aithusa. Do we want to become friends too? Then you can call me Tea."  
"Tea, what a beautiful name. I would be very happy to become your friend. Then can you tell me how you made Merlin your friend? Who exactly is Aithusa?", the princess asked interested and looked at Merlin.  
He became a bit embarrassed and looked down.  
"I saved his life, but he said that we had become friends that way, too, which makes me very happy," she beamed at Merlin. "You have not heard of Aithusa yet? The exciting question is not who Aithusa is, but what she is!  
"So what is Aithusa? Is she your cat?", the princess patiently continued asking.  
Tea laughed happily. "Never let Aithusa hear that. That could really upset her. After all, Aithusa is the white dragon lady who will protect King Arthur. That's really great, isn't it?"  
Princess Mithian made big eyes and stared at Arthur. "Is that true?" she couldn't help but wonder.  
Arthur nodded and felt compelled to explain a little more: "A lot has happened in the last few days. Not only have I started talking to dragons, but magic is partly allowed again in Camelot. Therefore it is not against the law to ally with a dragon. Even though Aithusa is not yet fully grown, many people are still afraid of her. It was very delicate when she expressed her request to protect Camelot and me in front of the people."  
"Delicate but very impressive," said Tea, "but the Dragon Lady is not evil at all. She is very sweet and gentle. I could stand by her side for hours and enjoy her closeness. And Merlin..."  
Gwen put a hand on Teas head and the girl fell silent but grinned at the queen. "I think we'll let the princess rest for a while. It must have been a tiring journey and in addition she got a lot to think about."  
"I thank you, Your Royal Highness. Even though I would like to continue the conversation, it would surely be more sensible to rest. Could Merlin escort me to my room?"  
Tea was not too thrilled by this prospect, but she was eager to talk to the royal couple about their day with Aithusa and Merlin, so she didn't say anything against it.

The princess quietly followed Merlin. She had heard incredible news in a very short time. But in order to be able to talk to Merlin in a concentrated way, she put her thoughts aside and started to apologize to Merlin: "Merlin, I'm sorry that you were hurt by Morgana a few months ago, and it was only because of me.  
Merlin then stopped and turned to Mithian. "I am sorry. I knew already before that something was wrong. I had seen so many details that didn't fit together, but I just couldn't figure out how to solve the mystery. Besides, in retrospect it was lucky because not everyone fell into the trap and we were able to save Arthur just in time. You don't need to reproach yourself anymore. I can't count anymore how many times Morgana had her fingers in traps, intrigues, attacks and wars that I stopped counting".  
"It almost sounds as if you are responsible for this," Mithian said, shaking his head.  
Merlin didn't notice that he subconsciously responded to the statement with a nod.  
"What did Tea actually mean by saving your life? Maybe you lost your balance on the stairs and she saved you from falling," Mithian surmised.  
Merlin grinned and said, "She really saved my life. But didn't she tell you that she also saved Arthur's life?" Merlin tried to distract him.  
"Excuse me? She mentions that she saved you, a servant, but not that the King of Camelot is in her debt? What a special girl she is," she exclaimed.  
"You'll see for yourself how true your testimony is," Merlin said so softly that she was not sure if it was meant for her ears.  
"How did she manage that?" she asked.

"She gave him a beautifully patterned stone disk, which he carried with him because of her facial expression. The gift prevented a dagger from being driven into Arthur's chest."  
"Unbelievable, what a happy coincidence," said Mithian, while she thought she heard a snort from Merlin. "How is it that the king appreciates your advice so much," she asked in a serious voice.  
Merlin looked at her and said with a grin: "Unlike Arthur, I read books of wisdom that must rub off.  
She laughed and tried again to ask a serious question: "And why do you support your king so much?  
"Because I believe in him. Arthur is a good and just king. He will bring peace and prosperity to this Kingdom. He has already begun to unleash magic and one day he will unite all of Albion," Merlin said solemnly. Mithian noted that there was no mockery or doubt in Merlin's voice and she hoped that this vision of the future would come true.


	35. Guests (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I already rold you on fanfiction.net I wrote more chapters recently, so there´s no end for this story in the next weeks. I will continue it as long as possible:)

Arthur just reached a harbinger who announced the imminent arrival of King Olaf. The royal couple set off with Tea to greet King Olav and his entourage, as the herald had ridden only a few minutes before his ruler. Arthur was surprised to find that Princess Vivian also accompanied the king.  
Tea said softly to Arthur: "It is lucky that you did not marry this woman, she looks like trouble.  
Arthur replied softly, "I never intended to marry Princess Vivian. The only thing between us was an angry love spell, which fortunately was broken."  
Gwen put on her friendly smile and gave Arthur a little nudge to welcome the guests properly.  
"King Olaf and Princess Vivian. Several years have passed since our last meeting. Unfortunately, not only good things but also sad things have happened during this time, so it is all the more gratifying that your visit has come so quickly in this precarious situation."  
"King Arthur, although the circumstances of this meeting are not under a good star, I am nevertheless pleased that we can finally continue our peace negotiations. I..." King Olav interrupted his greeting, as another delegation came riding into the castle courtyard. He frowned. "Are you expecting another negotiating partner?"  
Vivian tugged excitedly at her father's arm and said angrily: "Look father, there is a blonde and elegant woman who is certainly also after King Arthur.  
The royal couple heard these words in bewilderment, but Tea giggled softly. Arthur began to explain: "Yes, several letters were sent. If the impression has been created that only you have received a message, then I must put it right."  
Arthur could not continue his explanation, because he already had to welcome the next arrivals. Tea made big eyes when she saw the blonde woman and said to the queen not exactly quietly: "Wow, how beautiful and elegant this woman looks. That's exactly how I want to become, or like Princess Mithian or like you are.  
Princess Vivian heard her words and looked at Tea angrily. She took advantage of the unobserved moment and stuck out the princess' tongue.  
"King Godwyn and Princess Elena! It is truly a pleasure to welcome you. If I may be so bold," said Arthur and addressed his word to Elena, "but you are even more beautiful and elegant than I remember.  
The Princess smiled with pleasure, made a very elegant curtsey and replied: "Thank you, Arthur, for the compliment, but you look excellent too. It seems that not only being a king is good for you, but also married life. And this is your Queen Guinevere. I am very pleased to finally meet you and wish you all the best for this love marriage.  
At the last words Elena had shortened the distance between herself and Gwen and had taken her hands. King Godwyn smiled happily at his daughter, and Princess Vivian was outraged that she was no longer the center of attention. Since Arthur made no effort to invite the guests into the castle, Gwen took the floor. She informed the visitors that Princess Mithian was already staying in the castle and that more important people were expected until tomorrow. Tomorrow morning the first joint talks would be held in the throne room. Since it was already late, everyone was brought a little something to eat to their room.

Arthur decided to visit the head of the castle guard and discuss the new situation with him. When the king himself came to Warrick's room, he was surprised at first, but immediately took a stand and greeted him appropriately.  
"Warrick, since there are many rulers from other kingdoms residing in the castle at the moment, it is of absolute importance that the safety of all is ensured. This includes not only that no one from outside is allowed to enter the castle without authorization, but also that the guests are not involved in any disputes among themselves. It is to be arranged immediately that the guards are increased and special attention is required.  
"My King, it will be done as you wish. Do you want to continue to report how the people react to the release of magic?", the guard asked cautiously.  
Arthur was astonished to hear the castle guard speak of this, but he nodded.  
"Sir Leon had asked me to listen to what the people had to say

Magic thinks. I am surprised that most people have received the news very positively. I suspect that some of them even possess magic themselves, but are still careful to say this out loud. Nevertheless, I notice that magic is no longer practiced in secret. I just saw another colleague cleaning his sword with a spell. Also in the city people are more open with this topic. It remains to be seen whether the euphoria continues or the mood turns back to fear. In all taverns this is - besides the dragon, the enemy army and the high visitor - the main topic of conversation. The people seem to have found new hope and are confident that the current threat can be mastered.  
"Good, that's good. Keep listening and take care of the doubling of the guards."  
Warrick called a farewell to the King, since he was already on his way to Sir Baron.  
Arthur sent for Sir Baron. A servant informed him that although he was not at home, Arthur's message would be delivered that Sir Baron should contact him as soon as there was news from the druids.

Arthur finally made his way to his chamber. He was looking forward to talking to his wife about the day for a short while and then finally being able to sleep. On the way there, he recalled the conversation with the archer. It really looked like it had been an accident that the young man had let go of the bow's tendon out of nervousness.  
He saw that although Gwen had already gone to bed, she had been waiting for him to return.  
They exchanged views about the day when Gwen sighed.  
"What's bothering you?" Arthur asked.  
"The talks tomorrow will be a tightrope walk. There will be quite a few rulers sitting in a room who are used to having their orders carried out. We will also encounter false pride and vanity. I simply hope that the negotiations end without incident and that we manage to protect Camelot and the other kingdoms".  
"Yes," Arthur said, "so do I."

Merlin woke up the next morning and he was overjoyed. He just couldn't help it. Magic - magic was finally no longer forbidden in Camelot. He knew that within a few days there would have to be fighting. He also knew that there would probably be important negotiations today that would determine the future of Camelot, and yet, in his head, for example, there was only the thought of Aithusa, how she had simply been by his side yesterday, or how Tea had smiled at him beaming with joy. He spoke briefly with Gaius, who had talked and exchanged a lot with Bronwen yesterday. Not only Bronwen was amazed at how comprehensive the knowledge of the court physician was. Gaius was also amazed at how much the young healer already knew about the art of healing and magic. He was not ashamed to admit that he had not paid much attention to the practical, healing art of magic during the last decades. Bronwen was particularly impressed that the court physician seemed to have practical experience in many areas, even though magic had been punished by death for decades. It reassured Merlin that in Bronwen, Gaius had someone who shared his passion and could relieve him. Merlin literally gobbled down his food and was on his way to the kitchen to get the royal couple's breakfast. On the way he noticed a commotion. He was surprised to discover that King Odin was involved in a dispute with another man.  
Merlin cleared his throat loudly and bowed unconcernedly, saying, "Can I possibly help you, King Odin and ...". But then Merlin came to a halt, because he did not know the other man. He took a closer look at him. This one looked kind of scary. From his clothing and posture you could tell that he was a ruler of a kingdom and through a scar in the lower chin area, you could guess that he had fought and survived many battles.  
" ... and King Lot", Merlin finished his bow, as this could be the only reasonable conclusion.  
"How do you know my name, laddie?", he asked and came threateningly towards Merlin.  
King Odin stood in the way. He had not forgotten that it was Merlin who had made Arthur consider whether his own death or sparing his life would bring peace to Camelot

and thus the servant had indirectly saved his life with his intervention.  
"You are protecting the boy, so it is a confidant of yours, Odin!", King Lot spat out.  
He heard that the servant desperately tried to suppress a laugh.  
Since both kings found this reaction totally inappropriate, they were speechless.  
Merlin took advantage of the silence and introduced himself: "No, Your Majesties. I am no confidant of King Odin. I am Merlin, the personal servant of King Arthur. I will inform the royal couple immediately that other guests have arrived during the night. If you wish, breakfast can be taken in your room. In the morning, a meeting with all participants is scheduled in the throne room. If you wish to be greeted beforehand by the two Highnesses, I can of course pass this on." Merlin said this kindly, but without excessive subservience or even fear.  
King Lot's eyes narrowed to slits and he said in a cutting voice: "I demand to speak to King Arthur at once, and alone.  
Immediately Odin took the floor and he ordered: "I also expect a meeting with the king, before the meeting this morning in the throne room.  
Lot's clothing gave the impression that he had just dismounted from his horse, but Odin seemed to be rested. Merlin bowed again and replied, "As you wish. I will tell King Arthur that you, King Odin, await him in your rooms after his breakfast.  
King Odin nodded and turned on his heel.  
"If it is no trouble for you, King Lot, I can take you directly to the king and you can have a snack together with the royal couple. If you would like to retire to a room to freshen up and have breakfast alone, I will arrange it immediately.  
"Take me to King Arthur immediately," King Lot commanded.  
Merlin nodded and went off. "If you would like to follow me. But it is quite possible that King Arthur is not yet ready to receive visitors," he said with a grin.  
King Lot was indignant. He could neither estimate nor intimidate this servant. He was not sure whether the servant was simply an idiot or tired of life, or whether Camelot was very different from Essetir.  
Merlin knocked and announced that breakfast and King Lot were at the door. Merlin heard a dull thud and entered. He saw that King Arthur had fallen out of bed. Merlin was relieved that Gwen had apparently already got up and gone to her room to change. King Lot marched into the chamber and Arthur quickly jumped to his feet. The sight of this king made Arthur wide awake at a stroke. He ignored his unbecoming clothes and greeted the other king.  
This one just growled.  
Gwen just came into the room and Arthur introduced the two to each other. When the mood in the room became even more tense, Merlin cleared his throat and suggested: "Excuse me, my queen, your breakfast is served".  
Gwen smiled gratefully at Merlin and said, "King Lot, would you be so kind as to join me for breakfast so that my husband can dress in something more appropriate?  
Again King Lot growled, but sat down opposite the queen. Merlin already had clothes for Arthur in his hand and helped him dress quickly. Meanwhile, he quietly informed Arthur that King Odin had also arrived at the castle and was waiting for Arthur in his room after breakfast.  
"I assume you have just arrived," Gwen began the conversation and poured water for herself and the king.  
"Hm," said King Lot, and drank from his cup only after Gwen had drunk from hers.  
"Did you come alone?" she continued with a smile.  
"Hm," he growled again.  
"I am pleased that you have also responded to the letter with a visit. I was pleased to note that you did not order your army to commit suicide, so you have a large, healthy, battle-hardened army," said Gwen in a chattering tone, just as if she was talking about the weather.  
King Lot jumped up and demanded to know where she was getting this information from. Arthur calmly sat down next to his wife and began breakfast as well. He gestured to King Lot to sit down again.  
"Aithusa told us this yesterday at noon."  
King Lot did not sit down and asked in a cutting voice: "Who is Aithusa?"  
Arthur replied, "Aithusa is a white dragon lady who has it in her head to protect Camelot."  
"I do not believe in fairy tales," King Lot said angrily.  
Suddenly the door opened and Tea came storming into the room. She ignored the Highnesses, stood directly in front of Merlin and asked, beaming with joy, "Good morning, are we visiting Aithusa again today? Do you think she could fly a round with me or does she perhaps not like it? Have you ever flown on a kite before? I imagine it would be wonderful!"  
King Lot could not hold on to himself and cried out in anger: "Is everyone here crazy?  
Tea noticed the presence of the strange man and greeted him well-behaved with a curtsey: "Forgive me, I am Teaghan. I have recently moved to Camelot and am friends with Merlin, Mithian and Aithusa.  
King Lot winked several times and he was not sure if he was caught in a ridiculous nightmare. Tea waited for the man to introduce himself, but he said nothing. She asked Gwen, "Did I introduce myself wrong?"  
"No, Tea," said Gwen, "you did everything right. This is King Lot from Essetir. He has just arrived today and we were just talking about Aithusa."  
Tea beamed at the strange man and said, "Have you met the Dragon Lady, too? She is beautiful, isn't she? I do not understand why people are afraid of her, she is rather gentle."  
King Lot fixed the girl and asked, "You saw the dragon with your own eyes?"  
"Yes, and I might even touch her," said Tea proudly.  
"Magic is forbidden in Camelot! How does it fit in with the alliance with a dragon?" King Lot asked Arthur.  
"Well, that law was recently abolished. Magic is no longer generally outlawed in Camelot," said Arthur, and he could not keep his pride or conviction out of his words. "My wife has just mentioned your decision to let your army retreat. May I know how this decision came about?"  
King Lot briefly processed the information, sat down and replied: "Your letter was only one reason for this decision. The sheer size of the enemy was overwhelming. I am not thinking of sending my army to death because of false pride. Nevertheless, I want the enemy force to be crushed, as they are looting and pillaging my kingdom right now, and that is absolutely unacceptable. I have never been a friend of the Pendragons. This is still true, considering who your sister is. "Morgana is responsible for so much suffering among my people that I would rather she were..." He broke off as he followed the queen's gaze and it came to rest on Tea.  
The girl looked him straight in the eyes and the little girl spoke to him: "Yes, yes, and so on. You now have a common enemy and immediately... What exactly do you want to accuse Arthur of? He can't change who his father was or who his sister is, nor does he need to justify himself for defending his kingdom relentlessly. So what is your personal grudge against Arthur?"  
"Uther did then," King Lot replied, interrupted by Gwen.  
"That was not the real question. This is not about Uther or Morgana. This is about Arthur and myself and the knights and people of Camelot."  
King Lot entangled the army and kept silent. For a moment, Teas eyes became glassy. "How revolting. Why do you hang heads on the outer wall of your castle? It's disgusting and barbaric!"  
The mood suddenly became charged. King Lot repeatedly wished to return to the battlefield, for there he was in his element. He looked into the icy blue eyes of the girl and heard him reveal the real reason for this act: "It serves as a deterrent. I love to look at the decomposing heads of my enemies, so that everyone thinks twice about whether it is really the right decision to become my enemy. If this measure keeps some from committing atrocities, it has served its purpose.  
Tea frowned and said, "I do not understand. The dead can no longer feel any pain from this act, but the family in question is in nothing but pain from this sight.  
"How old are you?" exclaimed King Lot.  
"I am twelve," said Tea.  
The king did not know how to answer this.  
Sir Mordred appeared at the door and spoke softly but forcefully to Merlin. He nodded, cleared his throat and said aloud, "King Bayard from Mercia and King Alined from Deorham have also arrived. King Arthur, you are expected by King Odin and soon after the negotiations will start. May I escort you, King Lot, to your chamber?  
King Lot bid a stiff farewell and followed Merlin. On the way, King Lot had an idea: "You must be the jester of the castle," he noted with satisfaction.  
Merlin laughed and said: "King Arthur would probably confirm this immediately, but I am really his servant.

Gwen asked Sir Mordred for news. He reported that some of the guests were up early and some had already arrived in the throne room.  
"Please go to the throne room and observe the situation. If it gets dicey, King Arthur will come and fetch the knight," the queen told the knight.  
Before Mordred could leave the room, the queen asked surprisingly: "What do you know about prophecies?  
The knight frowned and asked, "Why do you want to know?"  
"I believe that Merlin saw a vision of Arthur dying. I will do everything I can to save Arthur. Unfortunately, I do not understand prophecies very well. The book of Prophecies has given me some insight into the subject, but there are some aspects I do not fully understand."  
Mordred was still on guard, but was somewhat reassured by her answer. "I have had little contact with visions and prophecies among the druids. Basically one should distinguish between prophecies that were seen by means of visions themselves or whose wording was recorded. Visions whose wording has only been noted down are very imprecise and allow a high scope of interpretation. Visions are easier and more difficult at the same time. The scene seen will occur exactly as seen with a very high probability. But the question is rather what meaning or consequences the scene has. Some situations seem more harmless, others more dangerous than they really are in the present.  
"Can you give an example of this," Gwen asked in a concentrated manner.  
"Assuming that you see in a vision that Arthur is being poisoned, that doesn't necessarily mean that he dies. The vision did not show what would happen next. It's just an excerpt from a very probable future. If no antidote were found, death would be the consequence - but if an antidote were found, he would survive. Only a fool would throw a vision to the wind. But he who interprets his actions only according to a vision is a fool as well.  
"Oh, I wish I had more time to deal with the subject, but I fear that this wish will not be fulfilled. I'll consult with Gaius before the negotiations begin. Somehow, that won't leave me in peace." Gwen paused and then asked hopefully, "Do you think Kara could know more about prophecies?"  
Mordred said evasively, "It's possible."  
"Could you please ask her about this subject today? I have a feeling this is important," she asked Mordred.  
"Of course," he replied.  
"Thank you very much. After I have visited Gaius, I will come directly to the throne room."

Arthur went quickly to King Odin, because there was not much time left until the negotiations. He knocked and entered the room. King Odin had already finished his breakfast and was walking impatiently up and down the room.  
"What exactly do you intend to do?", Odin wanted to know. "Don't think that just because we have a truce at the moment that automatically means that we're going to have a truce..."  
"There is an army on its way here that Camelot will not withstand without help," Arthur explained.  
"You ask me for help?" Odin asked astonishedly and grinned gloatingly.  
Arthur clenched his hands into fists out of anger and gradually forced his fingers to relax. "I offer you the opportunity for us to help each other. This army will not stop at Camelot, nor will it spare Cornwall. This is not about me, my pain or my vengeance, but about protecting my people, and I will."  
Sir Morderd appeared in the room and reported: "King Arthur, the situation in the throne room is escalating. Your presence there is urgently required."  
"Thank you, Sir Mordred. "I will meet with King Odin at once in the Make way. Is my wife here yet?", Arthur inquired.  
"No, she has been delayed, so we must hurry," Sir Mordred replied.


	36. What we will never forget

Arthur was restless. The next morning at the latest, they would move out to go into battle. He was worried. The enemy army was huge. Even if some allies had assured him of help, what was that going to look like concretely on the battlefield? They would not have time to discuss at length which strategy would be best. There would be even less time in this situation to stroke the ego of each ruler and resolve this discussion diplomatically. How quickly an ally gained a short while before could change its mind again and become an enemy literally stabbing you in the back. He had also discussed his concerns with the knights and his wife, but they had all failed to come up with a simple and sensible solution.

Arthur noticed that one by one all the expected people had appeared. He glanced briefly at Merlin, who was looking anxiously at Tea. Arthur took a closer look at the girl and was surprised to see that she looked exhausted and that her smile was more like a grimace, as it did not reach her eyes. But he couldn't worry about that right now, because at that very moment the druid entered the room. Even though he was no longer wearing worn and dusty robes, it was immediately obvious that he did not belong to any ruling family. All those present eyed the newcomer. Some nodded at him in recognition, others just smiled at him disdainfully. It surprised Arthur that the druid joined King Lot. He knew that the druid's lair was temporarily in Essetir, but he had not expected that the two actually knew each other. When King Lot himself addressed the druid, who replied with a polite greeting and the two must have been talking animatedly, Arthur did not know what to make of it. To his relief, he found that everyone was finally seated and waiting for the meeting to be officially opened.

Arthur took another deep breath and began to speak, "Greetings. I received word earlier that an army bearing the banner of Nemeth has already arrived in Camelot. Princess Mithian, I thank you and your men for rushing to our aid so quickly and efficiently, despite having to fight a war in your own land only a few months ago."

"King Arthur, I am pleased that we can help you and prove our alliance," Princess Mithian replied with a lovely smile.

"My men will reach the borders of Camelot no later than tomorrow morning and await orders as to where the battle is to be fought," King Annis replied with satisfaction.

Arthur noted this information with a grateful nod.

King Olaf, King Bayard and King Godwyn also assured Arthur that their men were on their way to Camelot and would arrive not much later.

Arthur then fixed his eyes on King Alined and asked with anticipation in his voice, "King Alined, what is your decision?" Arthur had to force himself not to hold his breath.

King Alined was literally squirming under the young king's gaze. He had hoped that first the other two kings would take a stand and then he could adjust his decision. "Well, this decision is not to be taken lightly and ...", King Alined tried to talk his way out of it and stall for time.

Queen Annis snorted and demanded, "Get to the point! What is your decision and what do you want?"

"Perhaps we can make his decision easier if Camelot and the allies assure him that they will continue to purchase arms and armour from him in peacetime," King Godwyn suggested.

To this King Olaf agreed: "But the need for these goods would greatly diminish."

Gwen raised her voice and said, "Then it would be time to reorient. I know the reputation of the forges of Deorham." She passed over the Princess Vivian's spiteful laughter. "They are true masters of the blacksmith's art. If the need for weapons is no longer so great, then the need for more useful studs could finally be met. Sharp knives for everyday use, cutlery, various tools of the best quality. If the people are doing well and there is peace, it may well be that people will take more pleasure in luxury goods such as filigree forged necklaces with gemstones set in them."

King Alined was at first reluctant to use his forge for such meaningless everyday items. However, when he perceived the word gems and luxury, he took notice. He considered the idea and it was not bad at all. But the proposal had one weakness. "This is It's a nice idea, but where are we going to get gems for the precious necklaces?" he asked in an exaggeratedly friendly manner.

Princess Elena replied: "If you were to form an alliance with Camelot, and likewise with us, it would be possible for us to supply gems in exchange for the finished chains in a limited quantity. Her father was not exactly edified that his daughter had just revealed that his kingdom mined gems, but it was too late for a rebuke now, besides, he had been toying with the idea of bringing this up himself.

Queen Annis intervened again. "Has it perhaps occurred to you, King Alined, that peace in the kingdoms could make you far richer than war ever could?" she asked sharply.

Though King Alined looked astonished at first, as this really had not occurred to him before, he suddenly smiled and it was evident that he now found more pleasure in the thought of peace than ever before.

"I speak only on behalf of Camelot, but we would be delighted if we could gain Deorham as an ally and trading partner," Arthur interrupted the silence that had arisen.

King Alined saw with calculated pleasure that many present nodded in agreement.

"Then I, King Alined, the ruler of the Kingdom of Deorham, will consider Camelot as an ally and new trading partner. The necessary treaties should be drawn up and signed today."

King Alined rubbed his hands together in thought as he heard the Queen's voice, "But of course you will send a messenger first so that your army can also arrive in time. For words are one thing, but what is important is that you follow up words with corresponding deeds, and only this counts in the end."

King Alined was about to reply piqued when he saw the expression on the queen's face, who looked at him challengingly. The love spell came to his mind. He had also pretended to want peace during the peace negotiations many years ago, but in secret his actions gave the lie to his words. It took a lot out of him that he did not respond to this challenge, but answered it as follows: "Certainly. I will send a messenger at once and see to it."

The Queen dismissed him with a nod and King Alined left the throne room for several minutes.

King Lot followed the outcome of this negotiation with interest. The conversation with Iseldir was similarly revealing as the one with the servant. He too was not yet absolutely sure what his decision would be. Of course, he would ally himself with Camelot for this fight, but the servant's words had inspired him to consider Camelot as a permanent ally. And this astonished him. He would never have thought this possible before. Before he could make a final decision, he wanted to try a little test.

"King Arthur," he addressed his voice to the King of Camelot, "the threat has already invaded my kingdom and I have no time to lose. After much discussion with my advisors, we have come to the conclusion that we have no option but to accept Camelot as a temporary ally in this war. Nevertheless, I must clarify a matter with you personally. Suppose your servant there came to you and told you that I had tortured Him to obtain information about you. How would you act?"

Arthur's first impulse was to look in Merlin's direction, but he passed over that impulse and thought about the situation and the other king's motives. Arthur quickly realised that this was either a test or a provocation or even both. Unfortunately, he could only answer this as his conscience allowed: "I would look for evidence of his accusation. If he had been tortured, he would probably have sustained visible injuries. Perhaps there are witnesses who can refute or confirm one or the other. And I would, of course, take you up on that."

King Lot shook his head inwardly. The little servant was indeed right, and again, he should not have been surprised, since this king had married a maid. Truly, this king could not be accused of conceitedness of status.

"And if the evidence were not clear and it were my testimony against that of the servant. What then?" King Lot continued to ask, although he could already imagine the answer.

Arthur frowned and asked, "What has that to do with these negotiations?"

"Answer my question first," King Lot demanded.

Arthur relented and said discontentedly, "You ask if I am more likely to listen to the words of a strange man who makes no secret of the fact that he is no friend of

of the Pendragons or a man I have known for years and always served me loyally? Isn't the answer to that obvious?"

Even though he had expected it, King Lot was still impressed. "Then I have another question: who was in the throne room when Morgause was seriously injured?" He saw the servant stiffen beside Arthur and had to suppress a cold smile.

Arthur frowned. "In the throne room? I was in the dungeon myself with my knights to free my father."

"Were all the knights with you?" inquired King Lot.

"No, Sir Lancelot and Merlin were told to take down the alarm bell. Gwen and Gaius were to stay behind."

King Lot eyed the queen for a moment, but dismissed the thought. He had learned that Sir Lancelot was already dead, so why protect someone who no longer needed protection. That left the servant and the court physician. He looked at the servant with an intense gaze and he could see him getting restless. Now that he was rethinking the conversation with Iseldir, he had an interesting suspicion.

Everyone present suddenly held their breath when they saw King Lot smile. It was not a friendly smile at all, it was rather frightening.

"My decision has been made. I, the King of Essetir, King Lot, will make a permanent alliance with Camelot. With this act I settle a debt greater than my dislike for the Pendragons. I was only able to make this decision because the current enemy is a Pendragon and that this young king here probably does not display most of the bad qualities of the Pendragons. My army should have already passed the border of Camelot. They have long since been ordered to consider Camelot a short-term ally."

Even though the question of what debt King Lot was talking about burned on Arthur's tongue, he dared not voice it aloud. He had a feeling that Merlin was somehow involved in the answer, and probably his magic too. He had not forgotten that Morgana was not to know that Merlin was a wizard, so he left it at that. Perhaps there would be another opportunity to ask the question in private later.

Arthur, however, could not help his relieved and grateful expression. King Lot simply nodded to him and Arthur left it at that exchange.

Gwen now turned to King Odin, but before she could address the floor to him, he was already saying, "Yeah yeah, I know. Now it's my turn. King Arthur, you have powerful allies. Only a fool would not acknowledge this, yet I find it hard to support the murderer of my son."

Guilt flared in Arthur's eyes.

"But before I take a position on your offer, I would like to know why there is a druid at this table of all places!"

"My name is Iseldir and I am the leader of the Druids. King Arthur has accepted my offer that the Druids will assist in caring for the wounded."

King Odin narrowed his eyes into small slits. "The wounded of Camelot?"

"No, all the injured," Iseldir replied. A murmur went through the room.

Gwen clarified, "And he really means all the injured. So of course the injured people of Camelot and all allies. But if we really want to receive the help of the druids, then this also means that after a battle is won, no enemy lying on the ground and injured will be killed in cold blood, but this too will be treated by the healers."

Suddenly a discussion broke out that could hardly be contained. Incensed comments, reluctance and displeasure at this arrangement could be heard everywhere. Arthur and Gwen both tried to calm the tempers and make themselves heard.

The druid Iseldir watched this quietly for many minutes. He could see that further discussion was leading nowhere. He whispered a few words and his eyes briefly lit up golden.

All those present suddenly fell silent. Only the royal couple seemed to be able to speak. The druid almost laughed at the bewilderment of the rulers if the situation had not been so dicey.

"Forgive me, but this discussion is going nowhere and we don't have time for it," the druid apologised.

Gwen took the opportunity to say, "I can well understand your displeasure. After all, the enemy army is invading our kingdoms - not the other way around. But I have had some time to consider my anger. It may be that these people have done us an injustice, and yet they are

People and every human life is precious. And that is what it is all about. Through the help of the druids, lives are saved that would otherwise die because of this senseless war. Among them could be their own knights, their own friends, family members. Do you think anyone cares at that moment if an enemy is also being healed, because all that matters to the injured is that he is getting the help he desperately needs at that very moment?

I was also worried that a recovering opponent could pose a danger, but Iseldir assured us that this would not be a problem due to the druids' abilities."

"Then why don't the druids support us in battle?" asked King Alined, who must have been able to speak again.

King Lot, to everyone's surprise, replied to this, "Never underestimate the power of the healers in a war and especially in the time that comes after the battle. It would not be very forward thinking to have only the one battle in mind. A whole kingdom may fall, though the one battle is won, but the war is lost."

King Odin said into the silence, "My army is already marching towards Camelot. I will immediately send several messengers to inform my men that we are not going to war against Camelot, but against Camelot's enemies. I can speak from personal experience that it does not pay to ally with Morgana. And what I have heard so far increasingly reinforces that conclusion. When I allied myself with her, I did not know that she was responsible for all the suffering and death in my kingdom as the Dorocha spread terror and chaos."

This significant moment was punctuated by enthusiastic clapping. All eyes turned to the girl next to the Queen's throne. The latter smiled apologetically, leaned towards the queen and whispered not very quietly, "The whole thing borders on a miracle. I am overjoyed. But who will lead this alliance?"

You could see especially in the kings, but also in Queen Annis, how they were assessing their chances, gathering arguments and getting into position. But the druid said quietly but firmly:

"King Arthur Pendragon."

Everyone in the room paused in their movements. Merlin even held his breath, being so tense. Could it be that the unification of Albion was within reach? Tea smiled contentedly at Iseldir.

"The boy is green behind the ears after all," King Alined scolded, but he was the only one, he noted with horror, who spoke out against the proposal.

Quiet, confidential conversations could be seen sporadically. More and more, subconscious nods could be observed. Arthur watched the progress with wide eyes and also fear. It was difficult enough to rule a kingdom fairly, but to be in charge of such a large alliance crushed him. And again he felt Gwen squeeze his hand lightly to remind him that he was just not alone. He had his wife, his clumsy servant who was a wizard, and his loyal knights.

Gradually, not only was Arthur confirmed in his new position, but the Druids' offer was accepted, or at least tolerated.

Even when this decision was made, long discussions followed about the further strategic course of action.

The drafting of the contracts also proved difficult, but by the end of the day these had been noted down to everyone's satisfaction and already signed.

Arthur sat in the throne room even after the negotiations were over, trying to grasp the significance of today. Knowing that her husband needed time to think, Gwen took Tea out of the room with her, promising to show the girl her royal dresses.

Arthur noticed that Merlin was still in the room, but he did not say a word and seemed to be deep in thought. Arthur was grateful for the silent assistance and so he could calmly sort out his own thoughts and brace himself for his task.


	37. Visions make us stronger

After King Arthur had once again personally thanked the various kings and princesses for their help, they too gradually left the throne room. Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival and also Sir Elyan had appeared in the throne room without being asked. He was about to exchange views with Gwen on the possible success of the talks when he saw Sir Baron enter. He bowed and opened the conversation with an apology: "Forgive me, Your Majesty, for appearing only now. I hope I am not disturbing you."  
"What kept you?" skipped Arthur's introduction.  
"It was more difficult than I thought to find the druids. Even though I assured my healer several times that he could rely on your word and noble intentions, he was very cautious. He arranged a meeting with a single druid. The latter specified a secluded place and I would be allowed to appear only alone. It took me several hours to reach the meeting place. I met a man named Iseldir. We talked for several hours and apparently I was able to convince him. He even agreed to accompany me. Waiting outside the throne room, he requested an audience with the king and inquired if a certain Emrys was present."  
Arthur ordered, "Let him enter!"  
As Iseldir entered the throne room, Arthur suddenly heard a shout of joy beside him and he saw Tea run up to the man full of joy and throw herself into his arms. The man laughed and said, "I did not expect such a warm welcome in the throne room of Camelot, and yet I should have expected it, knowing only too well your concern and engaging nature."  
Tea beamed at the druid and replied, "I'm really glad to see you here. I have so much to tell you. You wouldn't believe how exciting it is to be around Merlin. It's not as boring as the Druid's Lair, where nothing happens for months on end. Here the events are really happening and I don't know where to start telling you. Everything is so exciting. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I also have many more visions compared to before."  
The druid looked at the girl worriedly, thought better of it and pushed aside his questions to her. Instead, he eyed the people in the room and sought eye contact with Emrys. Emrys nodded in recognition and the druid bowed. It was unclear whether he meant the king or the wizard. He addressed his words to everyone in the room: "Greetings. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak openly with all of you without being threatened," at this he looked slightly accusingly at King Arthur, "or to bring you back to life," Sir Leon could be heard breathing in sharply, "or to warn you of danger in secret." The last words seemed more directed at Merlin.  
Arthur followed the druid's gaze and looked questioningly at Merlin. The latter leaned towards Arthur for a moment and whispered in his ear, "He warned me then that the Triskele of Askhanar was not only a key, but also a trap. It was only because of his warning that I was able to save the dragon egg and did not perish in the trap."  
Sir Leon spoke up agitatedly and said, "I thank you. I owe you my life. I can still remember the feeling when the cup of life touched my lips and life flowed back into my body. I have asked myself this so many times and cannot hold back the question: Why did you save me?"  
Iseldir looked at the knight thoughtfully before answering, "Even though you are a knight of the kingdom of Camelot, which had declared the druids and wizards enemies, we do not consider you enemies. And even if you were our enemy, we would still have taken the chance to save you, because every life is precious. We do not judge whether that person deserves to be saved. All that matters is whether we have the opportunity to do so."  
Sir Leon listened intently to the druid, still processing the meaning of the words.  
Gwen, on the other hand, smiled kindly at the druid and said, "On behalf of myself and my husband, I am pleased to return the kind greeting. Rest assured that there is no danger from us to you. Thank you for having the courage to follow Sir Baron. To what do we owe your visit?"  
Iseldir said with a smile, "Thank you for your kind words, my queen."  
At these words, Gwen's eyes especially grew wide. She had never known a druid to acknowledge her status as queen. She could hardly hide her surprise, and she saw that it wasn't just her.  
The druid did not respond to the emotion and continued, "I have a Please and make an offer. War is coming for all of us and in a war there can really only be losers. Since Camelot did not choose the war itself, but is once again forced to defend itself, we too would like to contribute and help. We are a peaceful people and cannot contribute much in a fight, but still we have always dedicated ourselves to the art of healing and have passed our knowledge down through generations. Our attitude towards healing remains the same. Therefore, we ask that we be allowed to heal the injured, regardless of whether they belong to Camelot or an ally, or even to Camelot's enemy. I know this is unusual, but this is how we have always practiced the healing arts, and we will not change this." The druid saw Arthur briefly exchange ideas with Gwen and Emrys.  
Arthur reconsidered the offer and said, "Even though your attitude toward healing is foreign to me, I can still understand that you will remain true to yourself. It will be difficult to practically implement your request during the battlefield without putting yourself in danger. Going to the battlefield during the fighting to heal friend and foe is very dangerous and foolish at the same time. Healers are needed as much in a fight as fighters, and neither should be put in unnecessary danger lightly. Is it wise to heal an ally and an enemy lying next to them, only to watch them fight again and perhaps turn the sword on you?"  
Iseldir did not let his surprise at the well thought out words show and nodded in understanding. He was amazed at how much foresight spoke from the king's words. "Yes, I understand your objection. Let me rephrase my offer. During the battle action, we will invest all our strength in healing people in the infirmary. However, we are allowed after the battle to search the battlefield for more survivors and help any injured there."  
Arthur looked at Gwen for a moment, waited for her agreement, and then said, "We gladly accept this generous offer, as it will reduce the number of dead. You continued to speak of a request."  
The druid did not respond for a few moments and Arthur was about to speak again when the druid began to explain, "I have communicated your decision to my friends and they are already on their way here, as the enemy army will arrive very soon and battle will ensue."  
Arthur looked irritated at first, and then the answer to his question came to him himself - via thought language.  
"The Chalice of Life has been in our care for decades and we request that it be transferred back to us so that we may continue to use it for healing and protect it," the druid asked.  
Arthur was about to dismiss this absurd request out of hand. When he thought about how much death that goblet had brought upon Camelot... and he couldn't push aside his guilt at having failed. He had failed to prevent the chalice from falling into the hands of Cendred's soldiers. He felt Gwen grasp his hand and shake her head slightly. His wife, of course, had noticed Arthur's approaching emotional outburst and asked the druid, "What makes you so confident that he is safer with you than in Camelot?"  
"I understand your concern, my queen, but just because we had given the goblet to King Arthur seemingly unopposed doesn't mean we couldn't defend it if we wanted to."  
"Why did you give it to me without a fight? After all, you knew I was the Prince of Camelot."  
The druid did not answer, but merely waited.  
Arthur considered the situation at the time, and then the answer itself occurred to him, "Had I been alone, would you have entrusted me with the chalice as well?"  
Iseldir shrugged and said honestly, "I don't know."  
Arthur looked at Merlin in response and he tried to look apologetic. Arthur leaned over to Gwen and whispered to her, "This is going to hurt my pride many times."  
Gwen asked back just as quietly, "What do you mean?"  
"That I was not the one who was pivotal in a dicey situation, but Merlin deserved that credit," the king confessed in frustration.  
He heard Tea chuckle and feared he had spoken louder than he intended. Had he been able to bring himself to look in Merlin's direction, he would have immediately noticed the proud posture and mischievous smile.  
"I will consider your request. It is quite possible that I will not respond to it. How would this affect the offer you just made?", Arthur inquired, trying to keep the worry out of his

voice away. He had only an inkling of how many of his men would not succumb to injuries if the druids could treat them. He would not carelessly jeopardize that chance. Besides, Arthur remembered the druid's warning when he took possession of the chalice back then. And he can't disagree with him, in hindsight, that he didn't know then what kind of power he was playing with and what he was unfortunately risking at the time.  
"As I said before, this is a request and not a condition of the previous offer. The Chalice of Life may have been delivered into the care of Emrys, but he too is merely a single man, a very powerful one admittedly, yet he cannot be in multiple places at once."  
Pain and guilt flared briefly in Merlin's face.  
"He already has a great responsibility to shoulder, and I do not wish to burden him with more," Iseldir concluded his reply.  
"I will keep this in mind when making my decision. Are you interested in being present at the negotiations between the kingdoms?" the king offered.  
Since the druid seemed at a loss for words for an answer, Gwen continued to offer, "You are welcome to rest and freshen up here in the castle first. If you wish assistance with your clothing, Merlin can help you with that."  
The druid accepted gratefully. Arthur wanted to say something in response to Gwen's suggestion, but she squeezed his hand again. He reconsidered his objection and dismissed the druid as well as Sir Baron.  
Tea grabbed Merlin and pulled him behind him with the following words: "Come on, hurry up Merlin! I can't wait to finally talk to Iseldir. I haven't seen him in so long and there's so much to tell him."  
Tea chattered away at Iseldir the whole time and the druid smirked frequently. Merlin showed Iseldir a small room where everything was already laid out ready for her to wash.  
At last Tea took a breath and Merlin took advantage of the interruption in her babble and said seriously, "I thank you for your warning then. I would probably have fallen into the trap carelessly otherwise. It was only because of your tale that I was able to retrieve the dragon egg, and that is why I was able to witness Aithusa's birth. She has since grown into a beautiful dragoness and I see this as a special favor."  
Merlin bowed and Iseldir swallowed a lump.  
Tea tugged at his cloak and said, "Merlin is great, isn't he? Quite different from what you would normally imagine the great Emrys to be. You've heard him speak several times, but still, I always thought he was cockier and scarier and not so, well, normal."  
Iseldir thought he had misheard. He didn't even want to look in Emrys' direction, as Tea's words were sure to upset him.  
But Merlin just laughed and said, "It would be even nicer if my friends experienced me as a conceited guy. I'd rather leave that role to Arthur. I'm always told I have a lot of power, but it helps immensely not to take off when you're shining the king's shoes, or worse, having to go back to the horse stables to muck them out, and usually without magic." Merlin winked at Tea, and Iseldir was surprised to notice that Tea's cheeks reddened slightly.  
"Will you accept Arthur's offer and join the negotiations?" asked Merlin with hope in his voice.  
"Of course. Even if I prefer to act in secret. I will not deny myself and my followers this chance. However, since I left in a great hurry, my clothes are not really appropriate and ..." Iseldir faltered in his explanation and was interrupted by a laughing Merlin.  
"Don't worry, Arthur is not so strict about that, but you are right, the other negotiators might take offense. Unfortunately, especially in such a situation, clothing is not insignificant. I will immediately look for more suitable ones. I guess that you prefer rather plain, but of course fresh clothes."  
"Yes, that would be a relief for me. But please really find something plain," the druid asked.  
Tea looked at Merlin and said, "Then you really need to get some new clothes."  
Merlin looked at Tea in amazement and asked reproachfully, "What's wrong with my clothes?"  
Tea shook her head. "You just said yourself that clothes are also crucial to how others perceive you. Your dress color does accentuate your eye color, but it doesn't radiate power at all."  
"Why should it? I am Arthur's servant, after all! His servant! Not a highly respected council member or noble," Merlin Tea tried to

explain.  
She just looked Merlin in the eye for a long time and he somehow missed what exactly her argument was.  
Merlin was thinking about her words when suddenly something occurred to him. He turned to the druid and said, full of guilt and pain, as well as without transition, "You warned me that I must guard the cup well and that it was now my responsibility. I have put the future of this land in jeopardy by not fulfilling the obligation you gave me. I asked Arthur rather half-heartedly if the chalice would not be safer with the Druids. This question comes to me again. Why do you think the chalice is safer with you than in Arthur's custody, even with the current situation?"  
"Don't put all the blame on yourself for the devastating consequences. It was several circumstances, several decisions that came together for Morgause to obtain and abuse the Chalice of Life. To give an answer to your question: It is as simple as it is significantly difficult. Arthur rules an entire kingdom and you protect him, and so the entire burden of not just a kingdom, but of all of Albion, rests on you. This would already be a gigantic task for several people, and yet this is meant for the two of you. We, on the other hand, are many and our main task has always been to hold the Cup of Life. Also by our actions we have instigated events that were not all desirable, but we cannot change the past, only shape the present."  
Merlin thought about his words for a moment and said goodbye with a grateful smile.  
Tea, on the other hand, could not hold on any longer, "What kind of blind idiot is this? Doesn't he want to understand me? There's no way he can believe that he can go through life as Arthur's servant any longer. He is so, so, ...!"  
Iseldir only smiled at Tea's renewed outburst. Her temper had often run away with her, but it was Emrys that she got most easily upset about. She had visions of him since she was a small child. This was also the reason why Iseldir was able to warn him about the Tomb of Askhanar at that time. Tea saw then that Emrys was not only confronted with a dangerous mist, but that the whole tomb was collapsing on him.  
"You still see him in the visions, don't you?" the druid asked cautiously.  
She sighed in anguish and nodded guardedly. "But you haven't," the elder began, but was interrupted by Tea with a frustrated snort, "No, I haven't. I may be young in years, but believe me I have always listened to you. I know your views and those of so many other sages. I had to learn painfully myself what a gift and a curse it is to possess the gift of foresight. Some visions don't even seem significant, and in the end it always turns out that they were crucial to the future after all. I never asked for this power, yet I accepted it and try to help us all with my gift. Whether my decision to share certain knowledge or to keep it for myself was the right one in the end, unfortunately always turns out when the course for the near future has already been set. Even though I still have so much power, I often feel so helpless at the crucial moment. I feel it. It won't be long before the fate of us all is decided. The visions lurk at the edge of my consciousness. Not much is missing and they will haunt me again. I fear that this time it will be far worse and more overwhelming than ever before. I dread it, and yet I long for it."  
Tea broke off as Merlin stumbled into the room, laden with clothes. He didn't notice how Tea fell silent - an uncomfortable silence ensued. Merlin showed the druid the clothing selection, and he picked out suitable clothes with relief.  
"What role will you take in the battle, Emrys?" the druid asked with interest.  
Before Merlin could answer that he would not leave Arthur's side, of course, both men's attention was focused on Tea, who let out a small, hotter 'no'.  
Merlin was just able to catch her as she slumped down. Her whole body tensed. Although her eyes were closed, you could see that they were darting back and forth restlessly, with an occasional golden light flashing through the twitching eyelids.  
Concerned, the druid leaned over Tea and gently touched her forehead. "She has visions. She already suspected that the visions were imminent and that it would be bad, but I've never seen her react so violently to visions," he whispered softly.  
"Is there anything I can do?" asked Merlin quietly but emphatically.

The druid looked at the young wizard as he carried the young seer in his arms and said, "If you are not uncomfortable, leave her where she is now. Her breathing has calmed somewhat and ..." His gaze wandered to Merlin's chest and Merlin was surprised to see Tea's hand tightening in his blue shirt.  
The two men had to wait many minutes and that time felt like half an eternity. Tea was breathing steadily by now and the twitching of her eyes had also stopped. She blinked and looked directly at Merlin. "Merlin, it's you. You're with me. You're here," she said, half sleepy, half confused. You could tell that the memory of the visions wouldn't let her go.  
Merlin watched as small tears ran from her eyes. He could not bear the sight any longer, pressed Tea to him, buried his face in the golden hair and said in a choked voice: "You are not alone. We must and will find a way together."  
Tea was perplexed at first and didn't react at all for a brief moment, until she suddenly wrapped her arms around Merlin and began to cry bitterly. She didn't know if she was crying out of pain, fear, or even relief, but she just didn't care at that moment.

Mordred, meanwhile, was having second thoughts. The queen had given him the perfect excuse to speak to Kara without arousing suspicion. How he wished he could do just that. Even though he had already spoken to her and there was nothing he could do at that moment about her hatred and her belief that Arthur deserved to die, he now had proof that Arthur would not kill him. He had accepted him. He could still only shake his head as he recalled Arthur's reaction. He had imagined many situations, but the king starting laughing out loud was definitely not one of them. He was relieved that he no longer had to hide this part of himself from Arthur. It had become harder and harder for him not to use his magic, as he noticed that the older he got, the stronger it became in him, and thus the desire to use it. He noticed the head of the castle guard himself standing guard outside Kara's cell. Mordred did not fail to notice that Warrick was eyeing him particularly closely.  
"I am here by order of the queen to speak with the prisoner again."  
Warrick hesitated and cautiously inquired, "Is it safe for you then?"  
Mordred looked surprised, quickly regained his composure and tried to sound confident, "Yes, it's no problem."  
Mordred waited until the cell was unlocked. Seeing Kara like this made his heart ache. Not only was her appearance neglected, but worst of all were her eyes. Her eyes, which were usually full of life and humor, now just looked at him emotionless and empty.  
"What on earth has Morgana done to you?" it slipped out.  
He noticed a stirring and she said with conviction, "She opened my eyes."  
Mordred shook his head and replied, "No, she poisoned your mind with her hatred. Do you not realize that you are acting as narrow-mindedly as Uther did?"  
Mordred was not prepared for Kara to actually attack him, but he saw a fist suddenly come flying toward his face and painfully strike his nose. For a brief moment, Kara was as shocked as he was. Mordred already noticed that his nose was starting to bleed, and that not only his armor, but Kara's cloak had gotten enough of his blood as well. Mordred took advantage of Kara's stiffness, muttered a few words, and noted with satisfaction that his nose was no longer bleeding and barely hurt.  
Kara whispered in amazement, "You do magic."  
"Yes," Mordred replied, somehow proud and annoyed at the same time, "I am a wizard, after all."  
"But Arthur," Kara began, but fell silent when she heard Mordred sigh.  
"Arthur now knows of my possession of magic, and yet I stand before you. And I am not the only one in the castle who possesses magic by now, and the king knows this."  
"That's impossible!" tried Kara to interject.  
"No, it is possible. That's what I've been trying to explain to you all along. Arthur is nothing like his father. No matter what Morgana has put you through, she's just using you. She's only interested in Arthur's throne and his pain. She mistakenly believes that the throne is hers and that Arthur has betrayed her for it. For Arthur, the throne is not even the most important thing in his life. Of course, he feels a duty to ascend the throne and serve Camelot as a good king, but he feels most comfortable

himself at the side of his knights. He does not crave power, but he desires peace, and peace with us, Kara. I heard how Morgana abused her power when she took the throne for a few weeks. She didn't care how many innocent people died, as long as she could demonstrate her power."  
"You are truly loyal to Arthur Pendragon," Kara stated without emotion.  
Mordred nodded and confirmed her statement with a convinced 'Yes!  
"That can only mean one thing, and that is that you do not know the truth, for this is what Morgana entrusted to me."  
Kara's voice suddenly became very quiet and he had to strain to make sure he understood the last sentence Kara then said. When he heard it, he turned white as a sheet and began to freeze. His hands began to shake and his heart contracted. He stammered, "This is not true. It can't be true." Yet inside he knew it could be true. He had been afraid of this... He couldn't finish the thought himself.

Warrick, meanwhile, was getting very restless. The knight had been alone with the prisoner for far too long and it was quiet, it was far too quiet. At the beginning, he could still hear individual snippets of conversation, but they were so incoherent that he could not make sense of them. But now several minutes had passed without a sound coming from the direction of the cell. Warrick crossed the few meters to it and looked at the scene before him. The knight was white in the face, accentuating the contrast with the trail of blood under his nose.  
Sir Mordred noticed him and instructed him to let him out of the cell.  
Warrick complied with the order and made sure the cell was properly locked again. The knight, however, had already disappeared from his field of vision. The prisoner, too, was staring motionlessly out the window again, as if none of this concerned her, or as if she were waiting for something. He couldn't put his finger on it. He got goose bumps and left the cell. He wanted to talk to Berta about this strange scene. Surely she could tell him if he was just exaggerating. So he couldn't see the cold smile that Kara suddenly had on her lips. Since his watch had long since ended, he also didn't catch how a few hours later a supposedly small commotion could be heard in the cell.

A skinny, hooded figure strode out of the castle unnoticed. No one heard the murmur of the figure - 'It is time. I was finally able to complete all the important tasks' - as it suddenly dissolved into smoke and mist in the darkness.


	38. Start the contract

Arthur stepped into the throne room and the sight he was offered made him shiver. Several small groups had formed. This wouldn't be too bad, but the atmosphere was very tense. Occasionally there were disputes to be heard and the posture of all those present was aggressive or dismissive. His entry was partly not noticed, since the attention was completely captured by the alleged opponent opposite. Arthur noticed that even Queen Annis was present. According to this, the rulers of eight other kingdoms were in this room. Arthur could not fully grasp the significance of this situation. He felt the pressure on his shoulders increasing. He began to clear his throat and wanted to ask for attention and silence when the doors to the throne room opened again and Gwen entered. Unimpressed, she walked slowly but elegantly to her seat and stayed there waiting. Little by little, the conversation fell silent and the eyes turned to Queen Guinevere.  
Arthur stepped to his wife's side and she spoke: "It is a great pleasure to welcome you all in this room. I am filled with pride as the rulers of eight kingdoms have responded to our request and we are all gathered here in this room to sit down at this table together as equal negotiators and decide the future of our kingdoms. Please take your seats." Gwen breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that all of us had complied with her request. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Tea was behind her chair and Merlin was behind Arthur's chair and this calmed her even more.  
Arthur looked at Gwen with gratitude and said, "We are facing difficult times. As some of you already know, an army is coming, the size of which is hard to believe. The Knights of Camelot may be strong, but against such a numerical superiority, the best fighting skills will be useless in the long run. Even the best knight will tire eventually and death would be certain. Because of this approaching threat, we now sit here together. King Lot, could you share with us your observations of the enemy army?  
King Lot looked around the room. He had not expected that so many highborn men would sit here. Most of them looked like effeminate mama's boys and delicate princesses. "As King Arthur has already mentioned, the size of the army in particular is a considerable problem. There are tens of thousands of armed men, supported by a few wizards." He noted with satisfaction that one or the other face had turned pale.  
King Alined took the floor and said in a scratching voice: "I heard that you fled from this army like a coward, fearfully avoiding real fighting.  
King Lot fixed King Alined and he became more than restless under the gaze of the other king. "Then call me a coward. In your eyes, I would rather be considered a coward than being profoundly stupid. I also doubt that my soldiers share your opinion. What man wants to lose his life in a senseless battle," King Lot replied, still holding King Alined captive in his gaze.  
Queen Annis only said: "Only a fool calls such action cowardly. With such a superiority, it is necessary to proceed strategically and there is retreat, rather than a frontal attack, a good tactic".  
"What is this tiresome discussion about war? I thought this was about King Arthur," said Princess Vivian in a whiny voice. King Olaf became restless and tried to calm his daughter and be quiet.  
Princess Elena turned to Vivian: "But you have already understood that King Arthur is already married.  
Vivian snorted and said disparagingly: "Marriage is a single phrase. Arthur cannot sink so low and marry a nobody. Whose daughter was she, after all, a blacksmith's daughter? That is simply ridiculous. It will bring him no ally, no country, no gain in power. If only he could have married a princess like me."  
Gwen looked at Princess Vivian and felt no grudge against her, but pity. Arthur was about to speak in anger when Gwen touched his wrist and shook his head imperceptibly.  
Princess Mithian was only partially successful in suppressing a laugh. "Princess Vivian, I am only too happy to destroy your illusion, because King Arthur had a choice whether or not to marry a princess."  
Princess Elena said nodding, "Yes, fortunately Arthur saved me from marrying him out of obligation."  
Princess Mithian added: "Arthur was expected to take me as his wife because of the peace negotiations with Nemeth. He chose not to do so, but still kept the peace and me from being trapped in a marriage where there might be respect and understanding, but not love.  
"But then why did he marry her," Vivian asked, since she simply did not understand.  
Queen Annis interfered: "Girl, you are young and inexperienced. You don't yet understand what exactly makes a good king. An unhappy king who is trapped in a loveless marriage will not be able to be a good king for his people in the long run, and the additional ally, the new land or the gained power will not help. Only a blind man does not recognize that the royal couple of Camelot truly love each other. I am not talking here about an infatuation that breaks at the first obstacle, but about a strong love that grows stronger despite all obstacles. And now let's finally get back to the really urgent business. An army has already invaded Essetir, which will inexorably make its way to our kingdoms. We are gathered here to find a way to eliminate this threat as best we can. Since one must begin: I, Queen Annis of Caerleon, will support King Arthur Pendragon with every means at my disposal."  
King Alined intervened again and said, "How can you simply promise this without attaching conditions, besides King Arthur himself murdered your husband?"  
Arthur shrugged at these words and wracked his face with guilt.  
Queen Annis asked him to answer with a gesture himself. "It is true that King Arthur killed my husband. As a result, in my anger and pain I almost led my country into war. His mistake could not be made good, but mine could. A war was imminent, yet King Arthur admitted his mistake and asked for a duel, as it might spare the lives of hundreds of men. I agreed and Morgana assured me that she had the power to make Arthur lose."  
A murmur went through the crowd and here and there the name 'Morgana' was sometimes repeated with disgust or fear.  
"During the battle she told me that Arthur's sword was enchanted and would carry the burden of a thousand years - no one could stand it for long. Nevertheless, Arthur could win and spared the life of my fighter.

I often thought about this fight and I couldn't get a scene out of my head. You, Arthur, lay unarmed on the ground and my fighter had raised his sword for the deadly blow and it fell out of his hand for no apparent reason".  
Arthur had to force himself not to look in the direction of Merlin.  
"In this fight, magic was at work. But how did it come that apparently a sorcerer protected the king, in whose land magic was punishable by death? And now there are rumors that a dragon, a magical creature, promises to protect you, King Arthur. Magic will suddenly be allowed in Camelot. And suddenly I understood. Your allies have already seen in you what I could sense when we first met, and it is now becoming increasingly clear. When I asked you why you spared my warrior, you replied that you would not seek victory but peace, and these words even refer to sorcerers. I do not need to attach conditions to our support, as I respect the man Arthur Pendragon for his sense of honor, loyalty and desire to protect his people," Queen Annis ended her statement.  
After a short time, King Godwyn took the floor: "I, we," with Princess Elena nodding affirmatively to her father, "will not abandon Camelot and we will go into battle side by side.  
Then Princess Mithian also nodded: "My father" and was interrupted again by King Alined.  
"What a fool you all have been making of this young king!"  
Queen Guinevere replied, "What exactly do you have against peace negotiations?"  
King Odin answered the question, since King Alined did not want to answer: "King Alined expects a good deal from the war effort. He produces weapons and armor. If a war does not break out again and again, he will lose his source of income. Peace would make him poor even in the long run."  
Gwen then threatened: "I would be very angry if I found that someone was sabotaging these peace negotiations. I do not want to see my husband being cast a love spell repeatedly."  
At these words she did not let King Alined out of her sight and he swallowed loudly.  
Once again, Princess Vivian intervened, "Love spell?"  
Arthur sighed and addressed his word directly to Vivian: "Yes, I was under a strong love spell during your visit. My words and deeds are unfortunately due to it, otherwise I would never have behaved this way towards you.  
"You don't love me anymore?", she asked in an unsettled tone.  
"No, I have never loved you. My feelings were not real because I was enchanted," Arthur clarified.  
Vivian was about to throw a tantrum. She rummaged in her mind what bomb she could detonate. Suddenly, something occurred to her. She wasn't sure, but she didn't care at that moment. She pointed to the servant behind Arthur and said: "Do you know that this servant used magic?"  
Merlin got nervous because suddenly all attention was focused on him.  
Queen Annis said with a sigh: "Arthur called him a fool. He runs after the King like a little dog." Laughter was heard throughout the room. "We are losing valuable time. Let's concentrate on what's important."  
Tea was outraged. How could they dare laugh at Merlin, call him a fool? Merlin realized that Tea was about to say something rash. He asked her in thoughtful language to do nothing.  
"But why?", she asked back in an upset.  
"It's for my protection. The fewer people know I have magic, the less chance Morgana will ever know."  
Tea nodded reluctantly.  
Princess Mithian tried to raise her voice again, but King Bayard started talking at the same time. He gave way to the princess. "My father and I, we will come to Camelot's aid as well. Our main army will arrive in Camelot in a few days. When we needed help, King Arthur rushed to our side immediately, risking his life for my father's. It was through his help that we recovered our throne. We too will aid Camelot." Mithian nodded at King Bayard to show him that she would say no more.  
King Bayard began to tell her: "Many years have passed since I was last in Camelot. Even at this time the peace negotiations have already been sabotaged. As a gift I brought  
two magnificent goblets with. It turned out that in Arthur's goblet there was a poison amplified with magic. Your servant had somehow learned of it and accused me of trying to poison Arthur. I must confess that at that moment I felt my honor attacked because this servant dared to make such a statement. According to Uther's instructions, the servant was to drink the contents of the cup instead of Arthur himself. He was right. The cup had been laced with poison without my knowledge. Fortunately, your servant stepped forward courageously and your court physician was able to give him an antidote. Since I am no sorcerer myself, but the poison was strengthened with a spell, I was relieved and could prevent the army already sent to my rescue from attacking Camelot. Now I appeared again for peace negotiations, but refrained from bringing chalices as gifts".  
There were occasional smiles about this statement.  
"Camelot has kept its word. After this misunderstanding, no aggressive action against Mercia was taken by Camelot. It was always reassuring to have Camelot as a direct neighbor, because one could trust that an ally was always considered and treated as such. I have no doubt that if Mercia had requested help from Camelot, it would have been granted without delay. So rest assured that Mercia will also support Camelot in this war.  
Arthur was somewhat relieved that so far four of the eight countries have assured him of support without much concession. He addressed King Olav directly: "What is your opinion, King Olav?"  
King Olav examined Arthur again and said: "Before I came here, I was not sure. Your behavior towards my daughter at that time enraged me very much, and I could not reconcile this guiding behavior with the honorable behavior in our duel. I challenged you to a duel between life and death and you spared my life with the words 'This is no way to achieve peace'. I thought that these words were just to impress my daughter. Today I learned that you behaved so improperly because of a love spell. You may be very young, but you make wise decisions. Yes, King Arthur, I too will go to war side by side with you."  
His daughter wanted to disagree, but her father told her to shut up.  
King Arthur thanked her for her words and for the support she was given.  
"Now the statements from Cornwall, Deorham and Essetir are still missing," said the Queen of Camelot challengingly.  
"You are a dangerous man, Arthur Pendragon. How dangerous you are I only realized today. You are still very young and yet you have gained strong allies and preserved old treaties. I thought I came here expecting to hear you beg, to strengthen your army with mine. Now I regret to say that you do not really need my help and yet here I am. Odin looked the king in the eye the whole time he was explaining and did not even bat an eyelid.  
Queen Guinevere said emphatically: "To set the record straight, we are still interested in your support. If it makes you happy, I will also ask you to do so. Every additional ally increases our chances not only of winning this war, but also of minimizing all our losses. What demands do you make that you too join us?"  
Odin now smiled greasily and said: "I can understand what you like about your queen. She definitely has courage and strength. I am not averse to offering you my conditional support. Nevertheless, I will take some hours to think about it.

King Lot declared with a deep, threatening voice: "I will hold it similar to King Odin. I have come here to pool our military strength because we have a common enemy. I cannot yet say whether there will be more out of it and what conditions will be attached to it. Unlike King Odin, I do not succumb to the illusion that I am not alone in making demands. I left here very hastily and I expect my advisers, among others, to arrive at any moment. I will have to discuss possible conditions and compromises with them.  
"Yes, I too would like to discuss the current situation with my knights. Unfortunately, there is also a need for haste, as the threat is already moving towards us. I thank Queen Annis, Princess Mithian, King Godwyn, King Olaf and King Bayard for their promised support. I ask each one of them to take precautions, as this is a matter of great urgency. King Lot, can you estimate when the Saxon army will reach Camelot at the latest?  
"The army moves very slowly, but I doubt it will take them more than three days to reach Camelot."  
The number of days was increasingly taken up with shock or with the urge to create. "I also expect a decision from you, King Alined, this afternoon, as time is short," Arthur let the King know.  
"This session is closed. I thank you all for coming," Arthur closed the session.  
King Odin and King Alined immediately left the throne room. King Lot, however, immediately headed for Arthur. "I have a request now," he began in a grumpy voice and Arthur waited patiently. You could see from the grim man's face that it was actually against the grain for him to make a request.  
"I need someone to show me around and introduce me to the quirks of Camelot. I can't stand strangers and your servant is no longer a stranger to me, so I have assigned him this task."  
Arthur turned to Merlin and he barely nodded. "Of course. But I warn you, he is neither strong nor particularly submissive, yet I would be grateful if you would not harm a hair on his head.  
King Lot took his leave nodding and Merlin had to hurry to catch up with him.

King Lot suddenly stopped and Merlin just managed not to run into him. "Show me the castle," he commanded.  
"Very well," Merlin replied. "Are you more interested in the aesthetic or the military point of view," he inquired.  
"First and foremost, the practical. I want to find my way around here as quickly as possible, without being dependent on a stranger every time.  
Merlin nodded and enumerated in his thoughts which areas of the castle might be suitable. "First we will walk from the throne room to your room, then we will visit the court physician, the kitchen, the armoury, the banqueting hall, the castle courtyard, the castle walls and the tavern. Was there another reason why I, of all people, should do this task?"  
"Yes, several even. You are, after all, the royal servant of King Arthur, so you may as well serve other kings. I was intrigued by the story of King Bayard, in which you bravely told

were than you look. Besides, you've been by King Arthur's side for a very long time, and that's exactly where you are. How did you become his servant and what kind of man is he?" King Lot asked.  
"A witch tried to kill him with a dagger. I pulled him out of the dagger's trajectory, thus saving his life and as a reward I received this passage."  
"You don't sound thrilled," the king asked.  
"I was anything but enthusiastic. Arthur was a conceited royal ass in those days. But he grew up, questioning himself and his actions. He is loyal, honorable, just, strong, brave, combative, takes advice and his people love him, but he is also often an idiot," Merlin said with a grin.  
"Is it normal in Camelot that one may insult his king without expecting punishment?" King Lot inquired.  
Merlin made big eyes. "I would be very careful if I were you, Arthur can sometimes react very quick-tempered," he warned King Lot.  
"But you," the king began.  
Merlin shrugged his shoulders and declared, "He is no different from me, and with Gwen and everyone else I behave myself.  
"You call the queen by her first name?", the king asked with interest.  
"Of course, Gwen has been a very good friend for years, and the coronation didn't change that either."  
King Lot could hardly believe his ears. Nevertheless, it was not completely absurd that the daughter of a blacksmith became friends with a servant. It was rather unusual that a king took this very daughter as his wife.  
"What do you know about Cenred's death?", the king asked emphatically.  
Merlin was surprised by the sudden change of topic, but he answered honestly, "I was not present at his death. I only heard that he was dead."  
"But you must have some idea how he died?", the king continued to drill.  
"He made the mistake of allying himself with the high priestess Morgause, and I suppose when he was no longer of any use to her, she removed him. Her loyalty was always to her sister Morgana, and to her own, of course." Merlin stopped at a door and pointed to it. "This is where you will be staying in Camelot. Adjacent to it are two empty rooms that are already being prepared, since you have announced further visits," he replied and pointed to the rooms.  
"Does the witch's loyalty no longer lie with your sister?" King Lot asked Lot with a wrinkled forehead.  
"Morgause had placed the Cup of Life, which was responsible for the immortality of her army, in the throne room and was seriously injured in the battle that broke out there. Months ago, Morgana and a severely wounded woman were spotted on their way to the Island of the Blessed. On the evening of the sauna, at midnight, at the very moment when the veil between the worlds is thinnest, the veil was torn by a blood sacrifice and the Dorocha could enter our world. The conclusion suggests that Morgana sacrificed her own sister to unleash death and destruction upon the whole world.  
King Lot had difficulty grasping what he heard. Surprisingly, he received information from the servant quite candidly, but an answer raised many more questions.  
"Why are you telling me all this voluntarily? Who was in the throne room during the battle? And how was the veil repaired? Even though I was not yet a king at that time, I witnessed the terror that the Dorocha brought upon my kingdom as well."  
"I tell you all this because I hope you see what kind of king Arthur is and that you will continue to ally yourself with Camelot after what I hope will be a successful battle." Merlin looked at the King with a wait-and-see look.  
When he was silent, he continued: "The veil could only be repaired by another blood sacrifice. Arthur wanted to pay this blood sacrifice himself, since he would always sacrifice himself before considering anyone else. Shortly before Arthur could put his plan into action, he was put out of action and Sir Lancelot, a Knight of Camelot, sacrificed himself for us and so the veil was repaired and the Dorocha no longer walked in our world," Merlin ended quietly.  
The king saw that the death of the knight made the servant sad and unhappy. "You were friends with the knight?", the king continued to speculate.  
"Yes, Sir Lancelot was brave, honorable, humble and loyal. He should not have sacrificed himself," Merlin slipped it out.  
"Would you have preferred it if King Arthur had taken on this role?" King Lot asked.  
"NO! But I would have paid that price," said Merlin without hesitation.

"Yes, that you would sacrifice your life for the king, I have understood. But you have not yet given me an answer as to who was present in the throne room when Morgause was seriously wounded."  
Merlin did not answer this question and instead drew the king's attention to the fact that the court physician was to be found in the rooms he had reached. Next, Merlin headed for the kitchen and continued his silence.  
King Lot had time to think about the new information. He was very surprised that the servant had answered all his questions, but did not give an answer to this question. He continued to think about this fact and came to the possible reason for his silence. How could one seriously hurt such a strong high priestess without magic? What could a sword do against a magical attack? At least one of the people present therefore also possessed magic. He was curious to know who this person was, but actually he only wanted to pay his debt to the one who mortally wounded Morgause. For him, it was a question of honor to avenge the death of his own king.  
In the kitchen his appearance was greeted with quite a commotion. He accepted a freshly baked bread that had been forced upon him. With a sinister look he left the kitchen. Merlin nodded briefly at the cook Berta, followed the foreign king quickly and led him to the armory.  
"You still owe me an answer," the king threatened.  
Merlin snorted and said: "No, I don't owe you anything, Your Majesty. I serve King Arthur, not you."  
This one narrowed his eyes to slits. "I could squeeze the information out of you," he tried with a threat.  
Merlin snorted again and lightly replied, "It won't work.  
"You underestimate my skill of torture and your strength," he taught the servant.  
"And this answer will certainly not earn you my trust. Besides, I am Arthur's servant. It will soon become apparent when I am absent and you are not in your kingdom, but in Camelot. Not to mention that an enemy army is already spreading terror throughout your kingdom and you need Arthur's help."  
"Oh, no! It would be my word, the word of a king, against that of a common servant. It is quite clear how King Arthur would behave," King Lot claimed.  
He was completely surprised when the servant turned to him, looked him straight in the eye, smiled and just replied, "Exactly.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and if you have any question or wishes feel free to ask them.  
> Leave a Review to let me know what you think:)


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